Transparency needed between police and public

THE groundswell of public discord over the goings-on at Toti police station seems to grow each week.
And whether or not there’s any validity to most of the claims of ineptitude, dereliction of duty and a lack of accountability, abuse or misuse of power and government property and police officers allegedly involved in criminal activities, the allegations themselves are enough to have tainted the public’s perception of the police.
As a result, it has become common practise for the public not to report crimes that take place, for fear of having to make tedious and often unsuccessful attempts to report crime to policemen in the charge office who aren’t necessarily interested in serving the public. This is counter-productive because the higher structures of the police rely on statistics from each area to make decisions about allocating the necessary resources to relevant areas where crime is more prevalent.
What is patently obvious is the lack of will from the management of Toti police to engage with the community at large.
Without an open and transparent effort to communicate – from both sides – the provincial police management’s appeal for people to work together with their local police station to fight crime, will fall on deaf ears.
It is encouraging to note that the provincial commissioner of police has pledged to study the contents of a complaint by the sector policing forums, which have tabled a vote of no confidence in Toti police, and to engage with local roleplayers to address the concerns and find a solution.
That’s all that anyone can hope for – a solution that works to undo the distrust that has resulted between the police and the public, stemming from months of incidents that go unchecked.