We are in no doubt that the majority of police officers in the Makana area are well trained and dedicated individuals committed to protecting the safety of the public. We regularly receive comments to this effect from members of the public who have been happy with services rendered by police officers.
We are in no doubt that the majority of police officers in the Makana area are well trained and dedicated individuals committed to protecting the safety of the public. We regularly receive comments to this effect from members of the public who have been happy with services rendered by police officers.
However, the article on the front page of this edition about a policeman who refused to open a case because the complainant did not have proof indicates that not all policemen are so well trained.
We are not sure if the individual was simply not trained and did not understand the basic functions of a charge office, if he was just too lazy to do the paperwork, or whether he was just being plain malicious.
Any of the above options is completely unacceptable and we would like to know what the station commander is going to do about this case.
If this case were just a weird aberration, and we were confident that the policeman concerned was going to be dealt with, we would be worried, but not too much. This incident, coupled with the recent alleged beating of an activist in a police station, certainly makes one think about the risks involved in reporting a crime.
Perhaps this is the reason why a woman, known to this newsroom, decided to phone a local security company rather than the police when she noticed a man trying to break into her garden.
Would the police have answered their phone? Would they have responded to her emergency call in good time, or would they simply have required her to prove that the man fiddling with her lock was a criminal?
Anyone in Grahamstown who subscribes to a security service would undoubtedly have called the security service rather than the police under those circumstances.
The above observations suggest that it is high time local police officers get some serious training so they can better understand what they are supposed to do and – of course – what they are not supposed to do.
