Detainee shot in holding cell

Police station security ‘zero’

AUDACIOUS gangsters climbed on top of the police holding- cell block and shot a man inside his cell at the Wentworth police station.

Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, police spokesperson, said a 20-year-old detainee was allegedly shot through the cell window on Friday night.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment for a foot injury, Mbhele said.

A case of attempted murder was opened, but no arrest has yet been made.

The man was discharged from hospital and was moved to another police station. He will appear in court today for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm.

According to a reliable source, several alleged gang members were arrested for a recent shooting in the Hime Street area and detained in separate cells at Wentworth police station.

Two men wearing balaclavas and gloves then allegedly climbed on to a wall behind the Austerville Post Office, which is adjacent to the police station.

The fencing had collapsed because of the recent storm and had not been repaired.

They apparently used refuse bins to climb on to the roof of the holding cell block before crawling and making their way to the courtyard.

They called out the name of the person they intended to shoot, saying they wanted to deliver food prepared by his mother.

It is alleged that the other detainees called out that he was in cell three. The men then climbed on to the cell three courtyard and called out the detainee’s name.

When he stepped forward and answered that he was okay, they shot at him three times.

The source said the men allegedly used a plastic packet to conceal the gun and muffle the sound.

Police were alerted to the shooting when they heard the detainee’s screams for help.

The incident had raised eyebrows about the security features at police stations, said Dianne Kohler Barnard, DA shadow deputy police minister.

“Most of the police stations are not suitable to be stations,” she said.

“They are either old houses that have been converted, or have old infrastructure. Our police stations are as open as a clinic or hospital. Firearms are kept inside the station and people are detained inside, but there is zero security there,” she said.

Kohler Barnard said that previously, each police station had had private security guards.

She said management could not deploy police officers to guard stations because it would be a waste of manpower.

“There should be access control. The blame also falls on the Public Works Department for its inability to secure police stations. I will be conducting an oversight visit with the police portfolio committee,” Kohler Barnard said.

When she heard that the person who was shot had been previously arrested several times and had pending cases, Kohler Barnard blamed slack detective work.