Lack of manpower and space hinder crime prevention at Lingelethu West police station

Cape Town - The lack of resources at Lingelethu West police station is a huge challenge in fighting crime.

Lingelethu West Community Police Forum chairperson Lunga Guza said the lack of resources put a strain on the station which is situated in the centre of Khayelitsha, a high crime area.

He said police Minister Bheki Cele was in Khayelitsha two weeks ago and was told about the challenges and tha the station was operating from rented space.

He said police officers were forced to park their vehicles in a space belonging to the City of Cape Town, just outside the station.

“The issue is the allocation of resources, the current trend is that members are leaving the station and there are no replacements which makes policing the precinct difficult,” said Guza.

He said the station was very small; they don’t even have their own offices as CPF while police members were forced to share office space.

“Even members you will find squashed into one office because there are not enough offices which affects services,” he said.

Guza said the station had police vehicles but there was insufficient manpower.

He said they were supposed to monitor and make sure the services were being rendered and help where possible, but this was difficult.

Guza said illegal occupation of land had also put the station under enormous pressure.

He said if there was a car accident one vehicle had to be stationed there for hours meanwhile another crime was being committed somewhere else.

Guza said they had good management but without resources they were doomed.

Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said operational information such as the number of resources were not disclosed to the media.

“Resources are deployed at police stations according to a crime pattern analysis and needs of the community, and it will suffice to say that Lingelethu West police station has an adequate number of vehicles and personnel to provide sufficient policing service in the area,” said Traut.

He said plans for the construction of a new police station were at an advanced stage, and a site had already been reserved, but this was a long term project, and a date for its completion could not be announced at this stage.

Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith said if there were structural or facility problems, the national Department of Public Works must sort it out.

“Public Works will need to approach the city and say they want to lease this facility or make some kind of arrangement for our people to park there or (say) we want to buy it from you,” he said.

Smith said they had sold land to SAPS before and the problem was due any unwillingness from the City, but through delays in action from public works.

Weekend Argus