Durban Deep women urge police to help
Petition handed over to Roodepoort Police station commander
A group of women took to the streets recently, demonstrating their concerns over the crime situation in Durban Deep. They marched to the Roodepoort Police station.
See video here:
The aim of the protest was for every woman to lay a complaint about her specific situation at the station, as well as to hand over a petition containing the signatures of 134 women, to the station commander, Brigadier Sam Manala.
The petition reads as follows:”Dear Sir, during the past few years the crime situation within the Durban Deep Area has steadily increased. Community members no longer feel safe, and the role of the Roodepoort Police in combating crime, or even visible policing, has declined. In many cases it is non-existent. Whether this is as a result of inadequate manpower or simply because we are not factored into any policing plan, we do not know. The incidents of rape, robbery and assaults are increasing, and we, as women of this community, want to know why police response time is slow, or not at all. Vigilantism is increasing, as the community is losing faith in the police, and feel it is a waste of time to report incidents. Please consider our situation, as we have nowhere else to live. We deserve protection.”
Brigadier Manala invited the representatives into his office, where he received the petition, and promised them that he will address their concerns. “Although you did not follow the correct procedures, I will accept your petition, and we can set up a meeting to discuss them. I just need to gather all the relevant information, so that we can work towards a doable solution,” he said.
He acknowledged that the crime situation in Durban Deep is challenging, and said, “We do monthly operations, where we are proactive in arresting foreign internationals, because it is a crime to be in a country without the correct documentation. But the courts do not want to accept the dockets for these arrests. This makes it difficult, because we then have to wait for a crime (like murder, rape or robbery) to take place, before the dockets will be accepted. The other challenge we face is that nobody wants to come forward with information when a crime has been committed, making our work very difficult.”
He assured the women that his door is always open, and they can come talk to him at any time. “I also want you to take down the contact number for the Relief Commander. This number is operational 24 hours a day, and when you have a problem, you should call this number, not 10111. The number is 082 498 9464,” he concluded.
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