THE plight of police officers at Muizenberg SAPS are finally being addressed after Chairperson of the Police Portfolio Committee, Ian Cameron, visited the cop shop.
The condition of the police station caused a stir earlier this month after it was revealed that officers are working in fear of skollies and drug merts who openly access the cop shop, as SAPS has allegedly failed to repair a broken fence for more than a year.
At the time, the Daily Voice revealed that while cops work on the night shifts, criminals have capitalised on the broken fence and have found ways to smuggle drugs and other items into holding cells.
Cameron, along with Nicholas Gotsell from the National Council of Provinces, made an unannounced visit to the station yesterday where he assessed various infrastructure problems at the building.
Cameron says: “The fence is a concern and I will be taking this up with the Department of Public Works.
“There are also other issues. The boards of the roofs are so vrot that they cannot attach gutters and so water just runs down the walls.
“I have also reached out to the local councillor about the sewerage issues where the roots of the trees are affecting the pipes causing overflows.
“We went to each cell to assess and found the toilets in working order but there are infrastructural issues that need to be addressed.”
He says in addition to the broken fence they also noticed that the roof is in poor condition, causing dampness inside the station and many windows are unusable, leading to makeshift repairs.
Cameron said during his oversight visit, he was impressed with the work of Muizenberg cops despite staff shortages.
He adds: “The visit was very positive and the officers have a positive outlook despite the challenges.
“They have a shortage of detectives but are doing very well despite this.
“The broken fence poses a significant risk to members and must be addressed.
“We will be reaching out to the Department of Public Works to address these issues.
“Despite these challenges, the dedication and positive attitude of the station members is truly inspiring.”