Dedicated police officers at the Akasia Police Station are struggling to perform their crime-fighting duties due to a significant lack of resources. The station is supposed to have 24 vehicles, but only 13 are currently operational. There are only five police vehicles available for visible policing to cover approximately 150 square kilometers of the area. Worse, one of these vehicles is frequently unavailable because it is being used as a taxi to transport suspects to other police stations due to a lack of holding cells.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands that Premier Panyaza Lesufi urgently identify police stations in dire need of infrastructure and resources. We urge him to challenge his national counterpart, Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, on this issue.
The DA conducted an oversight inspection at Akasia Police Station today, following concerns about rising serious crime in the area and inadequate police service delivery.
During our engagement with the management of the police station, we discovered that the facility is staffed with dedicated individuals who are being let down by the system. It should ideally operate at a brigadier level but is currently functioning at a colonel level, which limits its access to vital resources. The station has approximately 242 staff members crammed in an old and dilapidated building with a serious occupational health and safety risk.
. Additionally, there is no victim empowerment centre on site. These issues have negatively impacted morale, resulting in some officers being hospitalised for depression due to the challenging work environment.
See photos here, here and here.
Premier Lesufi must act urgently and stop misleading Gauteng residents about having criminals under control when a boardroom in Akasia Police Station is used for storing files and processing suspects upon arrest due to a shortage of space.
The DA will compile a dossier comprising our findings from the Anti-Crime campaign, where we are assessing identified problematic police stations in Gauteng. This report will be forwarded to Premier Lesufi and Minister Mchunu. We cannot be idle when police officers feel under-resourced and unsupported in performing their responsibilities.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would conduct a needs analysis for all police stations to ensure comprehensive and targeted remedial action.
The DA stands firmly with our police officers, who are committed to protecting Gauteng residents but hindered by a Lesufi-led government that excels in presenting alarming crime statistics without addressing the underlying causes or taking the necessary actions to make real changes.