MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Build Bethelsdorp Police station and bring back specialised units

By

Dear MyPE

When it comes to attempted murders, the Gelvandale policing area in the gang ridden Northern Areas has top spot nationally with an increase of 17% from 225 to 265, while Bethelsdorp is 4th with a staggering increase of 51%, up from 133 to 201. This reflects the ongoing gang violence and the dire need for the new police station in the Bethelsdorp area, to be built as a matter of urgency.

I first raised the issue of the new police station in the Bethelsdorp area in 2013, and the SAPS committed to support the building of this station.

This year, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality under the then Mayor, Athol Trollip, donated the land and it has been rezoned for that purpose.

This matter is now in the hands of the SAPS, and I call on the Premier and the MEC of Safety and Liaison to put maximum pressure on SAPS nationally to ensure that this police station is built.

Daily, people are being slaughtered in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth and the gang violence is spiraling out of control.

The second police station will add much needed resources to this community along with the reintroduction of the specialized units that were done away with by the then National Police

Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. This fool hardy decision has cost this country dearly.

Why is it that when this mad decision was take the whole ANC turned a blind eye to it? At the time, and ever since then, I and my party have called for the reinstatement of specialized units.

We urge the MEC for Safety and Liaison, and the Premier, to demand that SAPS nationally bring back the specialized anti-gang unit to this province as well as for the reinstatement of the specialized anti-drugs squad (old narcotics bureau).

We need the time frames clearly spelt out. People are dying on a daily basis.

You need to undo the huge harm that you have caused since the early 2000’s.

Regards

Bobby Stevenson

The following two tabs change content below.

Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.