Patekile talks roadblocks, problem police stations

GEORGE NEWS - People from George and across the Western Cape will now be able to rate the service they get from their local police stations, online.

It's as simple as scanning a QR code or following a link to the province's Saps Rate our Service page.

This new online rating survey was introduced during a media briefing with Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape Police Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile and members of the Western Cape provincial management at the Garden Route District police cluster offices on Wednesday morning, 24 May.

The aim with the online survey is to enable community members to rate the service they receive at police stations in order to pinpoint stations where the quality of service to the community is lacking.

Deputy Provincial Commissioner of Support Services Maj Gen Preston Voskuil showed attendees how the survey works.

The QR code with the online service rating survey, Rate our Service, will enable all the communities from our 150 police stations [in the Western Cape] to give feedback quickly and anonymously," he said.

Collected data will be used to rate service points/police stations to not only get a service rating for each station, but for the province as a whole.

This will assist in identifying problem stations.

To fill out the quick survey is optional, but visitors to police stations in the area are encouraged to give their feedback. To visit the page, go to bit.ly/wccss23 or scan the QR code available at police stations with your phone's camera or QR code scanner.

Pacaltsdorp police station under barrage

During the media briefing, issues and complaints regarding Pacaltsdorp police station were also discussed.

Throughout the years George Herald has received numerous complaints about this station and have reported on it many times, but still often receive complaints from the community.

Complaints range from the lack of availability of vehicles to officers not responding to call-outs, the lack of visible policing in the area, police officers refusing to open cases, residents without transport having to wait for hours, sometimes days, before officers arrive to tend to a complaint, the police station's doors on occasion being closed after hours during load shedding, and only one female officer being on duty, to name a few.

Patekile said that no station in the province is allowed to be closed because of load shedding. He said there are currently 2 300 new recruits under training, which will hopefully relieve the staff shortage at police stations.

"However, there can be no station in this province that is closed after hours because there is load shedding. All stations have back-up generators and we are currently installing invertors at all stations. District commissioners and station commanders in the province have been instructed to see to this. There is no way that a police station can be closed due to load shedding. There is no way," he said.

According to Garden Route District Commissioner Maj Gen Norman Modishana, they are aware of a number of complaints coming from Pacaltsdorp. Most of these complaints, such as phone lines not working and the police station closed during load shedding, have been dealt with.

He said he has also made his own number, as well as that of the station commander, available to the community if they are not satisfied with the service they receive at the station.

"We are closely monitoring Pacaltsdorp and we are working hand in hand with the community and the CPF. If there is anything not addressed to the satisfaction of the community, it can be made known to us. However, since we have been intervening, we have seen a drastic improvement at the station," he said.

GBV, permanent road blocks, taxis and drugs

Patekile said the biggest concern in the Southern Cape/Garden Route is the number of reports of gender-based violence and use of illicit drugs. What also causes concern is the break-ins at schools and theft of copper cables.

During a brief overview of crime in the Garden Route, Patekile acknowledged that the taxi transport industry violence in the area is also a concern and said it is a challenge that they are tackling.

However, what concerned him gravely is the abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol. "The Garden Route is becoming one of the routes where the drugs are channeled through to the Western Cape. Many of the drugs are not manufactured in the Western Cape, but are imported from other provinces. Hence the permanent roadblocks on the N1, N2 and N7. We have had more successes [relating to drugs and illegal firearms] since the roadblocks have been in place.

"The objective of the roadblocks is to stop the movement of illicit goods, such as drugs and weapons. Secondly, it provides for quicker reaction to the hotspot areas," he said.

However, considering the above, Patekile reminded residents that in terms of murders and other heinous crimes, the Garden Route is still in a better position than Cape Town and many other places in the country.

Garden Route District Commissioner Maj Gen Norman Modishana with Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape police Lt Gen Thembisile Patekile (middle) and Deputy Provincial Commissioner of Detectives Maj Gen Albert Maqhashalala. Photos: Kristy Kolberg