MAITLAND SAPS STATION 'LOCKED AT NIGHT'

The community, alongside the Maitland Ratepayers and Residents Association, call for immediate action

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

COMPLAINTS against the Maitland SAPS station, including locked station gates at night, a lack of available vans and poor service delivery, have been escalated to Provincial Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile.

Residents, Maitland Ratepayers and the Residents Association (MRRA), said they have lost faith in management at the police station and are advocating for the return of former high-ranking police officers.

The newly elected Maitland Community Policing Forum (CPF) said while they acknowledge the shortage of staff, they refuted the claims of inaction, citing new leadership and ongoing efforts.

Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais confirmed a site visit to the station following complaints and that it was now reported to Patekile.

In April, the dilapidating state of police infrastructure was flung into the spotlight when the Portfolio Committee on Police carried out several visits to police stations across the country including the Western Cape, where it came to light that Belhar officers were reportedly forced to share toilets with criminals.

Irate Maitland residents told the Cape Argus that often the gates of the police station were closed at night and that complaints were conducted from behind the fence.