Rural police stations’ big boost

It means an improvement on reaction time. We are opening front-line service points in our kingdoms with mobile stations

Inaccessible police services will be a thing of the past for the rural community of Bumbane village and surrounds, after the opening of a police station at the AbaThembu royal homestead on Friday.

Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said the new centre would mean people would not have to travel long distances to open a case.

“We do not want a situation where crime committed is not reported because of inaccessible police service,” Ntshinga said.

She said they wanted safer villages, which would increase the public’s trust with the police.

“This centre means an improvement on reaction time. We are opening front-line service points in our kingdoms with mobile stations,” she said.

The event kicked off with a roadblock at the Bumbane junction along the N2, which was conducted by members of the SAPS, provincial traffic officers and law enforcement.

AbaThembu acting King Azenathi Dalindyebo said crime had increased drastically and was shocked to learn that there was tik being sold in rural villages.

“This drug used to be abused in the Western Cape, now we have it in our villages. We must work hard to identify culprits behind the transportation of drugs to rural areas,” said Dalindyebo.

“These culprits are tainting the pureness of our identity as rural black people because it used to be that the most uncorrupted people were village folk.

“It is painful now to learn that tik is now being used here. I am grateful for this initiative.”

Gwen Gqwetha, the provincial president of the community police forum (CPF) said villagers must form properly functioning CPF structures and not just rely on the police.

“These officers, yes, are bringing a service but villagers still have the responsibility to guard their own people, this concept is being piloted here in this province, so it is up to us if government rolls it out to other provinces, we have to make it effective,” said Gqwetha.

Safety MEC Weziwe Tikana said everyone needed to work together and identify the root causes of crime and the cause of young people using drugs.

She said community members needed to work together and not in silos.

Using an example, she said communities often ended up taking matters into their own hands because of no response from the SAPS and that the new centres would help eradicate mob justice.