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Every Story. Every School. Resource deficiences in Cloetesville, Klapmuts
Probe highlights policing in crisis Infrastructure, technology and a lack of resources seem to be among the biggest challenges police stations in the Western Cape are facing.
Jeugdag is Dinsdag (16 Junie) in Cloetesville gevier met die hulp van StellSorg, ’n beskermingsorganisasie sonder winsoogmerk, wat kwesbare kinders en gesinne in en om Stellenbosch help versorg, beskerm en bemagtig. Dit was egter ’n ekstra spesiale Jeugdag vir die StellSorg-span aangesien die organisasie ook op die dag sy 110de verjaarsdag gevier het. Tydens die partytjie, wat by die Breughel-teater in Cloetesville gehou is, het kidners van die gemeenskap gedans, speel en gesing voordat hulle met ’n beker sop en kolwyntjies bederf is. Kolwynties is ook met die kleinspan van Smartie Town gedeel. Bettie Nieuwoudt, wat aan die stuur van StellSorg is, het Dinsdagmiddag help kolwyntjies uitdeel. Nog foto’s op bl. 2. Foto: Yaël Malgas
These were the findings of the provincial Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety’s (POCS) Police Census Project, conducted during the 2023-’24 financial year. Cloetesville, Klapmuts and Paarl are just a few of the 151 police stations the department’s investigation found to be facing resource deficiencies in the province. During recent site visits to the Boland Benedicta van Minnen, DA Western Cape spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety, MP Ian Cameron and MP Nicholas Gotsell found local police resources are not keeping up with a growing population. Klapmuts is a rapidly growing area, yet the oversight team said the station operates with only two visible-policing vehicles and six detectives. According to Van Minnen the current police station, described as “outdated former railway houses”, is also wholly inadequate to meet the growing community’s needs. “The severe shortage of police vehicles, in particular, leaves little
capacity for regular patrols or rapid response to crimes in progress.” Among locals’ complaints is the vast area the Klapmuts Police Station serves, which includes farm areas. The police has also been looking to find a more central site for the police station for some time. A suggestion to relocate the station at the Klapmuts Multi-purpose Centre has been made, as the current police station cannot be extended. Erica de Villiers, a spokesperson for the Klapmuts Community Policing Forum, previously said a new, larger police station could mean more manpower, which is ultimately what is needed to improve policing. Despite manpower being one of the biggest challenges, PCOS found many other hurdles to everyday policing. It found that 69 police stations have poor network connectivity, 121 police stations experienced slow systems, particularly the Integrated Case Docket Management System (ICDMS), 84 police stations require additional office space, 81 police stations have insufficient storage facilities for evidence and exhibits, 103 police stations lack sufficient archive storage capacity, and 125 police stations do not have a dedicated strong-
room for detective services. Of the Cloetesville station, Van Minnen said the policeto-population ratio is “well short of accepted policing norms”. PCOS found the area had one police officer for every 1 146 residents. During a recent community policing forum (CPF) meeting, Cloetesville station commander Lieutenant-Colonel Monique Fortuin however, informed community members there had been an uptick in staff numbers, with seven new officers joining the station in recent months. She said collaboration with the Anti-gang Unit and Public Order Police Unit (Pops) has been key to combating crime in the gang-ridden area. Neighbourhood watches have also helped with crime prevention. CPF chairperson André van der Westhuizen said Cloetesville has 19 watches, the most in the district. The forum is helping seven of these watches get official accreditation from POCS. Van Minnen called on police management to conduct a comprehensive audit in the province to “identify existing gaps, prioritise critical needs and inform the allocation of additional resources where they are most urgently required”.