Cops locked out over unpaid rent
Officers forced to work from boots of their cars outside police station
THE police, who usually locked people up, have been locked out of their station in Newcastle.
About 200 officers at a station in the town had to work out of car boots this week and others had to monitor a protest without riot gear — all because landlord Anton van Kampen, 64, had the locks changed to the doors of the police station premises that he owns.
When rent outstanding from 2009 was not paid by Monday, he called on the sheriff to lock out the police.
“It’s a lot of money involved,” Van Kampen said.
By Thursday night, following several meetings, the Department of Public Works, which is responsible for paying the rent, agreed to settle the bill.
On Friday, Van Kampen said: “They just have to confirm that agreement in writing and I will lift the eviction. They have agreed that they will pay the money that is in arrears. It will take about two weeks.”
He declined to disclose how much the department owed.
Mnisi Zweli, a spokesman for Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, said the minister and national police commissioner General Riah Phiyega would meet the Department of Public Works to discuss the issue.
“The matter was brought to the ministry’s attention this week and we are obviously concerned about such developments, because for our officers to be effective in their crime-reduction efforts, the working conditions and environment have to be conducive,” said Zweli.
A spokesman for the Department of Public Works, Thamsanqa Mchunu, said the landlord wanted to increase the rent and wanted payment for additional space on his premises. He also wanted a five-year lease extension in exchange for forfeiting the increase.
“The department’s bid committee has approved a longer lease of three years. After a number of meetings and telephonic discussions were held with the landlord this week, an agreement was reached and the department has offered him a commitment letter of payment within 14 days.
“The payment is for the escalation [of the rent] and the extra office space,” said Mchunu.
The police members using the building were from the dog unit, public order section, organised crime investigation and the vehicle repair workshop.
Democratic Alliance provincial leader Sizwe Mchunu said it was unacceptable that police officers had to work from the boot of their cars.
The office of community safety MEC Willis Mchunu said it was investigating. “The MEC . . . is making sure it doesn’t happen again,” said spokesman Kwanele Ncalane.
“He is looking at how the morale of the officers can be revived. The fact that officers have been working from their cars has an effect on their work.”
On Thursday, several officers were seen completing case dockets and reports from the bonnets of their cars outside the station. Several officers described the situation as embarrassing. One said the situation had jeopardised their safety.
On Wednesday, members of the public order unit attended to a service-delivery protest in Dannhauser, a coal-mining town near Newcastle. “But we didn’t have our full equipment with us. What if something [bad] had happened?” said an officer.
Police spokesman Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the locked-out police officers were being accommodated at the Newcastle police station, but that the officers complained about a lack of space.
Van Kampen told the Sunday Times that after trying since January 2009 to get the department to settle its debt, he was finally granted an eviction order in February.
The police and the department pleaded to be given three months to settle their unpaid bills. After more than six months, Van Kampen “reluctantly instituted the court order and proceeded with the eviction”. It was carried out on Monday. Van Kampen said he had needed to take strong action. “My problem isn’t with the officers . . . I don’t want to interfere with policing, but I needed to get this resolved.”