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City cops 'bleed' Gordon's Bay
24/07/2006 09:05 - (SA)
Jackie Pienaar, Die Burger
Strand - City Police officials selling meat from the Gordon's Bay police station once a month after it had been delivered in a police vehicle, was just one aspect of a grim picture of the state of policing in the popular seaside town painted to Cape Town mayor Helen Zille at the weekend.
Zille gave her support to a commission of inquiry into the matter afterwards.
She met a group of concerned people from Strand and Gordon's Bay to discuss security in the area, which was described as an emergency situation as a result of the City Police's inability to maintain law and order.
Zille heard allegations that:
City Police deployed from Kogel Bay to Macassar were seldom in their office in Gordon's Bay;
Two members tried to force a woman from Strand off the road after she had confronted them at Somerset Mall about not being available when she needed them;
At least one top member of the City Police used his official vehicle for private work for a security company;
Only two of the seven patrol vehicles were used because the others were used for private business.
The meeting was initiated by Barbara Louw from Village Action Campaign in Gordon's Bay, who established the organisation along with Gleneen Grundlingh and Maria Ryke in February this year because they couldn't no longer handle the "chaos regarding policing".
Gordon's Bay is "bleeding" and is an easy crime target, said Louw.
Brutal murder, rape
Louw complained about this situation shortly before Joy van Aarde, 78, was beaten to death in her house with a hammer in May this year, and a pregnant woman was raped in the house next door.
City Police found out about these incidents only after 16:00 on the next day after Village Action Campaign had informed them.
Louw also enquired how it was possible that:
Senior police officers were regularly on leave at the same time, especially over Christmas of New Year or over long weekends;
The City Police office was closed at regular intervals;
Only two police officials were on the road, while there were 16 traffic officials for the area, all equipped with official vehicles;
Four female members of the police, who were well trained in handling drugs, had to perform office work at Gordon's Bay. As a result drug and arms mules simply used a woman to travel with them. Policemen who pulled them off weren't allowed to search the women.
- Die Burger
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