Durban — Investigations into the state of police stations in KwaZulu-Natal reveal that repeat offenders are not monitored by the Department of Correctional Services.
The report states that this negatively affects the community and places everyone at risk.
KZN alone has a total of 8 000 parolees with a total of 3 500 paroles that are unaccounted for.
The Police Stations Functionality programme report was compiled by the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
The research was done between June and November 2021. A total of 55 police stations were visited, but the report was only available last week at the legislature.
The report recommended that police officers must be more visible in areas where the public feels vulnerable and should respond to calls for assistance by the public, particularly in instances where life and limb are at risk.
KZN is ranked among the top three provinces worst affected by crime.
Between January and March 2022, a total of 6 083 people were killed in South Africa. According to the SAPS Crime Statistics covering the period of April to June 2021/2022. KZN’s Umlazi and Plessislaer police stations are ranked first and second in the country.
All police stations visited identified the shortage of human resources as among the top service delivery challenges.
The Police Station Functionality Research Tool revealed that in addition to the shortage of human resources, the SAPS also battles with inadequate physical and ageing resources.
This refers to infrastructure, an ageing fleet and inappropriate transportation that doesn’t match the terrain provided to stations.
Out of 4 227 vehicles allocated across 184 police stations in KZN province, 1 716 vehicles are parked at workshops awaiting repairs.
In uThukela District, one vehicle was reported to have been in the garage for at least 155 days, another for 124 days, and the third car for 77 days. In Zululand District, a total of 108 vehicles with more than 200 000 kilometres on the clock were booked in for repairs.
One vehicle was reported to have been booked in the garage for 919 days and another for 950 days.
The report stated that the community contacted police stations on a regular basis seeking their assistance. The response is often that vehicles aren’t available, which isn’t desirable.
Communities are often unaware of the challenges police stations face and if not assisted, it increases their lack of trust in the SAPS.
The research found that police stations often took over old buildings which had previously been designed for purposes other than a police station. Others were built to serve small farm communities.
These police stations include Vryheid police which is a massive building; Loop Street, Nongoma, which was previously utilised as a hospital; and, Kokstad police station, which is on the premises. Some police stations are comprised of park homes and require to be reconstructed altogether.
Police stations such as Magudu, Ingwavuma, Nsuze, Dududu, Jozini, and Taylors Halt, to mention but a few are old, dilapidated buildings with extremely limited office space to such an extent that even routine maintenance is unable to sustain them any longer. Most police stations’ ablution facilities were in a bad state, with some not being suitable for human use.
The report stated that it was challenging for SAPS members to work many hours in an unhygienic and dilapidated police station building that is run-down.
The PSFR revealed that police stations such as as Magudu, Ingwavuma, Nsuze, Jozini, Taylors Halt, Ntabamhlophe, Wembezi, and Dududu, among others, were in urgent need of additional archive stores and required repairs and maintenance.
In the Zululand District Magudu police station; Pongola police station; Nongoma police station; Mahlabathini police station and Ulundi police station were inspected. This district has a total of 15 police stations.
Zululand District Visible Policing (VISPOL) has a total of 856 fixed establishments and 739 actuals. There is a shortage of 117 VISPOL employees. There are 164 detectives.
According to the Fixed Establishment, the Support Services is supposed to have 332 employees, but the SAPS in the district has 251.
Daily News