Klerksdorp Midweek, Klerksdorp - The portfolio committee on Police has raised serious concerns about the state of many police stations in the country and urged the management of the police and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to do more to create conducive working conditions that will improve the morale of police members.
The committee believes that the SAPS supply chain and DPWI are complicit in failing SAPS members, as no one can be expected to work in such abhorrent conditions. The committee believes that the years of inefficiencies, constant delays occasioned by non-ending meetings, and lack of implementation of decisions have led to the current chaos. SAPS supply chain confusion and bureaucratic red tape at DPWI have exacerbated the problem.
The committee is specifically referring to conditions in the Eastern Cape and KZN after concluding a week-long oversight visit to these provinces on Friday.
In Klerksdorp however, the dilapidation of the building housing the police station is well-known. According to the committee, this affects the effectiveness of the SAPS in performing their duties. “It is inexplicable how anyone can be expected to work in such conditions and be expected to maintain high morale and deliver quality services to the people,” said the Committee Chairperson, Ian Cameron, referring to stations they visited in Durban. The committee observed that Verulam SAPS officials are exposed to contemptible working conditions, from floors collapsing to temporary prefabricated offices dripping water during the rainy season.
At the Durban Central Police station, half of the cells are not operational, lifts don’t work, and most ground-level toilets and air-conditioning are out of order, which attests to the difficult working conditions.
The committee highlighted the need for the DPWI to develop a clear infrastructure plan to remedy the challenges faced across all provinces. The committee acknowledged the massive infrastructure backlog that the DPWI has and the fiscal pressure faced by all departments, including public works, but believed that without a deliberate response accompanied by timelines on how these challenges will be resolved, SAPS members would continue to be exposed to unworkable work conditions.
Meanwhile, the committee has reiterated the urgent need for an external and independent audit of the South African Police Service Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the causal factors of the DNA backlog. The committee has recommitted to meeting with the Office of the Auditor-General (AG). “We have already written to the AG, and we will hopefully meet early in the second term to ensure that the AG immediately audit the causal factors of the backlog and the inexplicable delay in finding a permanent accommodation for the FSL in the province. It remains mysterious how the SAPS continue to spend R500 000 a month renting accommodation space that they cannot use and is at continuous risk of flooding,” Cameron said.
The Chairperson emphasised the importance of timeous DNA results to aid investigations and prosecution of Gender-based Violence and Femicide in the country.
Concerning extortions, the committee has reiterated that the first hurdle to overcome is for the SAPS to rebuild trust between themselves and communities. The inability to create trust will continue to prevent reporting of this crime trend, which kills businesses and thereby kills the economy. “It is important that the SAPS investigate their members for participating in the scourge. This will ensure that people are confident enough to report these crimes and enable dedicated SAPS members to investigate, arrest and ensure the successful prosecution of perpetrators,” he said.
