Reiger
Park police station under fire
Police officers at the Reiger Park SAPS have been
accused of rendering poor service to desperate victims of crime.
Fanie Mthupha | 20 February 2014
In the photo one can see a
police officer laying down on the desk, allegedly asleep.
One officer was recently caught allegedly sleeping
on the job.
The resident, who wants to remain anonymous out of
fear of being victimised, described the service residents received from the
police as “shocking”.
The complainant, along with his girlfriend, went to
open a case of assault at the station on Saturday, February 8, when he
witnessed the poor service by police officers.
According to the complainant, while at the police
station, two young women arrived and told the police that they were threatened
by certain men, and they asked the officers for help.
Although according to the complainant there were
several police vans parked outside the police station, the police officers
working the night-shift at the time of the incident, allegedly told the
complainant that there were no vehicles available to the police to attend to
the matter.
After the complainants insisted that officers use
one of the vehicles that were seen parked outside, officers immediately changed
the story and told the complainants that there were no drivers available.
The frustrated complainant noticed that there were
enough officers sitting at the Community Service Centre, doing nothing, with
one of them sleeping on the job.
He then started taking pictures of the officers,
including the officer who was asleep.
“One of the officers that saw me taking these
pictures then came from behind the counter and wanted to confiscate my phone,
which I refused to give to him,” says the complainant.
“These officers are clearly not in any position to
serve and protect the community at large, and are simply there to just receive
a salary from the tax we pay from our hard-earned salaries.”
The Advertiser obtained some of the pictures, one
showing a police officer asleep on the job.
Spokesperson for the Reiger Park SAPS, Sgt Mashudu
Phathela, says the matter will be investigated and it is taken very seriously.
“Appropriate actions will be taken and if
necessary, disciplinary action against the involved officers,” says Phathela.
Phathela reminds residents that they have the right
to make a complaint against a police officer for any improper police conduct.
