Police Minister Bheki Cele has once again called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to fast track the accessibility to a police officer or policing services for all South Africans.
The Police Minister and the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, together with the Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety security and Liaison Vusi Shongwe, opened a state of the art police station in Daggakraal – Mpumalanga on Monday.
The rural community of Daggakraal is grappling with high incidents of stock theft, house breaking and varied cases of assault and sexual violence. Residents of this area had been reliant on a satellite station to access police services.
As part of efforts by the South African Police Service to bring services and resources closer to the people, the newly unveiled police station boasts among other things, a community service centre, holding cells and victim friendly rooms (VFR) to accommodate victims and survivors of Gender Based Violence.
Residents have to travel to report a crime
Concerns were raised – including the long distances residents have to travel to report a crime, as well as the slow response time of law enforcement. Cele told residents the SAPS is continuing its service delivery programme that’s informed by population growth and spatial development.
“The access to a responsive police service should not be a privilege but a right that we as government are working each day to achieve, the strategic deployment of resources must mean that residents of any community don’t have to walk kilometres on end or rely on an expensive taxi or bus ride to access policing services. People should not have to choose between putting food on the table and going to report a crime,” Cele concluded.
The Daggakraal police station joins the list of 1 159 police stations that are servicing communities across the country.
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