Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Ms Sibongile Manana says communication is vital in sustaining partnerships against crime. Manana was speaking yesterday (Tuesday) at meetings held with Ermelo Police Station management and the Msukaligwa business community.
The meetings came as a result of some challenges raised by the community and business people in relation to Ermelo Police Station management and crime in the area.
They felt that the station was not doing enough to problems such as gangsterism, drug peddling and business robbery, and also complained that the police were not visible in Ermelo.
Earlier, the business community had called for the entire station management to be restructured and appropriate steps to be taken against police officers who are not doing their jobs properly. They have also called for allocation of adequate resources to the community service centre at the Ermelo Police Station.
The Msukaligwa business community also alleged that the station was not responding timeously to crime scenes and when calls are made to the station through the 10111 crime reporting hotline.
The meeting was also told that sometimes when people report crime, they are told that the station is not having vehicles to attend to them immediately. Allegations were also leveled against the station commissioner, Senior Superintended Zachariah Nyathi that he is always not available to address their problems and that he does not have the support of his subordinates.
Accompanied by Ms Dumisile Nhlengethwa, a Member of Parliament and Mr Isaiah Khoza, the Head of Department for the department, Manana said communication was critical as it would also ensure that partnerships with stakeholders against crime will assist towards the eradication of crime in the province
“The management of South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province must clearly communicate its decisions and programmes to members and the public so that there could be no confusion,” said Manana.
She called on the Ermelo station management to strengthen its links with the communities it serves and other stakeholders such as the private security industry. She said the security industry should not be seen as competing with SAPS, but as a vital partner in assisting the government to achieve its target in relation to the reduction of crime.
Manana appealed to SAPS to provide regular feedback to communities on their policing needs. She said that programmes such as sector policing must be well communicated to members of the community in order to be effective.
She further called on the station management and the local community policing forum (CPF) to focus on its work, which is rendering services to the community and stop bickering among them as this would compromise service delivery.
“Police and the CPF must do their job properly because the police can only be trusted by the community if they are organized”, said Manana.
Manana noted the concerns rose by the business sector and immediately requested Nyathi to set up a meeting with them and other stakeholders in the area.
As part of the department’s programme to assist in policing in the province, the department seconded Mr Mzamani Vuma, the Senior Manager on Monitoring, Evaluation and Research to sit in meetings organised between the police, the CPF and the business people, with other stakeholders to mediate and assist them in resolving their differences.
Issued by: Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
22 July 2009
Source: Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/)
