EDITORIAL | How can cops do their jobs without electricity, water or cars?

No electricity at night, dry taps and unreliable transport. These are challenging conditions in any workspace. But if you are a police officer responsible for keeping a community safe, it seems unthinkable to be performing your duties under such difficult circumstances.

A resident in Ga-Rankuwa near Pretoria told the Sunday Times: “Police officers come out of the security room and say they can’t help you now, there is no electricity. So what happens if you were attacked that night?” And that is the question. In our crime-ridden country, where the number of murders shot up by more than 22% between January and March compared to last year, an attack at night is one our citizens’ worst fears.

Police spokesperson Col Athlenda Mathe promised the SA Police Service was working “around the clock” to resolve the issue and plans for a permanent solution were at “an advanced stage”. The term “around the clock” seems to be pretty relative, considering the Ga-Rankuwa police station has not had electricity for the past eight months. There seems to be little haste in fixing a massive problem which has led to the police building being locked up at night, leaving the area defenceless. Ga-Rankuwa is one of many police stations where officers are working under dire conditions. At Nsuze in KwaZulu-Natal, only two of its eight vehicles are operational. In Phoenix, taps have been dry for the past two months. 

Police minister Bheki Cele presented the latest quarterly crime stats to parliament last week. Murder was up by 22.2%, attempted murder by 24.8%, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm by 18.1%, robbery by 13% and sexual offences by 13.7%.

Tina Joemat-Pettersson, the chair of the policing portfolio committee, recently described the state of police stations as “catastrophic”, adding the committee received daily complaints. Parliament has heard tales of low morale among police members as they grapple with inadequate infrastructure and a lack of resources and staff. This as police minister Bheki Cele presented the latest quarterly crime stats to parliament last week. Murder was up by 22.2%, attempted murder by 24.8%, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm by 18.1%, robbery by 13% and sexual offences by 13.7%.

The opposition DA was quick to call for Cele’s resignation. He hit back saying some crimes, such as rape, were societal problems. Asked about the bad state of police buildings, Cele blamed the public works department. Round and round we go in circles, Cele’s political rivals calling for his head while he points fingers at others. None of this will solve the Ga-Rankuwa resident’s problem: “What happens if you are attacked at night?”

This is the question Cele, national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, public works minister Patricia de Lille and their lieutenants should ask themselves every night before they fall asleep. If they cannot answer it, they do not deserve their top jobs. Law enforcement officers need to be given the necessary support by their superiors to serve their communities. No amount of deflection or spin should trick us into forgetting the basics: cops cannot do their jobs properly if they do not have electricity or water or cars. If their bosses are not providing these, they need to be replaced with leaders who do have the political will to serve their people.