Call for police chief to step in over suspensions
THE Mitchells Plain Community Police Forum (CPF) recently asked National Police Minister Bheki Cele to intervene after the local police station commissioner was suspended for a second time in six months.
Cele recently visited Mitchells Plain when he launched Operation Thunder, which will have 270 police officers deployed to Mitchells Plain, Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Ravensmead, Manenberg, Steenberg, Grassy Park and Philippi.
CPF chairperson Abie Isaacs said: “When minister Cele was here on Tuesday we raised the fact that Brigadier Cass Goolam was suspended for a second time. We asked him to intervene in the matter. As the CPF we also held a meeting with the police about his suspension, because service delivery is suffering in Mitchells Plain after he was suspended. The first time the brigadier (Goolam) was suspended was last year, after guns went missing at the police station. There was an investigation and his suspension was lifted. Now a few months later he has been suspended again, after he allegedly talked to the media. His suspension also had an effect on the fight against crime and the low morale of police officers.”
Community worker Joanie Fredericks said Goolam was at the launch of Operation Thunder at the Portlands Indoor Centre in Mitchells Plain last week. “He was there as member of the public who is concerned about crime. With the brigadier at the helm, crime dropped dramatically. Crime is at crisis levels in our communities. Mitchells Plain is currently one of the most violent communities. We have high levels of murders, gang shootings and a spike in child killings.
“We believe in his leadership, but he is being victimised and not allowed to do his work. We also want the national police minister to do something about this. Without his leadership crime is not being dealt with. The community is very upset about his suspension.
“He is a people’s person and community members often spoke to him about crime in the areas. Our biggest concern now is domestic violence and we need him, because he has proved before that he can bring crime dramatically down,” she said.
The police did not respond to requests for comment.