Cop shop near 5-star hotel sparks row

THERE has been mixed reaction to plans to build an ethekwini metro police satellite station next to a boutique hotel in Inanda. The station is expected to be opened just before the festive season.

The City’s executive committee announced on Tuesday that Inanda would receive a security boost from the new station, which would help reduce the area’s crime rate.

It is understood the station will be built near the new five-star township hotel, Octavia, which was officially opened in September.

While local councillors have embraced the project, local policing forum members have questioned the station’s location.

According to the City, the station was built by MGN Resort (Octavia Hotel), which is privately owned. There is a memorandum of understanding between the council and the resort which provides that there will be no cost to the infrastructure.

It is unclear how many metro officers and vehicles will be allocated to the station. City spokesperson

Msawakhe Mayisela said they hoped the new station would be launched soon, and expected it to be up and running before the festive season began.

He said the station’s location was chosen because of the high number of murder cases opened there. He added that metro police stations were opened on the basis of key factors, such as the crime rate in an area.

“The area was specifically chosen as it is one of the top three areas with the highest number of murders in the country. The allocation of metro police offices is not based on a need for office space, but on important factors such as the crime rate in that particular area. This is done so as to provide a safe environment for all our residents, business stakeholders, and visitors,” said Mayisela.

Inanda community policing forum (CPF) member Mbongeni Phewa told the Sunday Tribune it was unfortunate that the City and the ward councillor had decided on the police station’s location without engaging with them first.

Phewa said a hub in Amaoti was given to the City to be used as one of its stations. However, it had since become a white elephant.

“We had given them a hub in the Amaoti area, where we as CPF members felt crime was more rife compared to other places. However, the project was not completed and was abandoned.”

Phewa questioned where the police station would be opened, saying the area was much quieter than other locations. “If they had engaged with the CPF, since we are the ones who know all the hot spots in the area, this would have helped,” said Phewa.

While the project received a backlash from the policing forum, local ward councillor Mpilenhle Mkhize welcomed it, saying the station would play a crucial role in combating the high volume of crime in the area.

“The area has been under a lot of strain when it comes to crime statistics. At least now the new metro police station will help ease the workload of the Inanda police station,” he said.

When asked why the new police station had been located near the boutique hotel, given that the area was not a crime hot spot, Mkhize said: “The area has middle-class residents who spend most of their time at work. In that way, we have received many complains of housebreaking while they are at work.”