August 30, 2019

The station, which covers large areas such as Hennops, Laezonia, Gerhardsville and Knoppieslaagte, reportedly only has a single working police vehicle.

The Tshwane DA believes a single working police vehicle and a lack of adequate holding cells means the Erasmia police have their “hands tied behind their backs”.

“The station has only one vehicle which has to service the entire precinct which includes areas like Hennops, Laezonia, Gerhardsville and Knoppieslaagte,” said DA member of parliament Cilliers Brink.

Brink said he attended a recent meeting with the Erasmia community where concerns around the station were raised in the presence of the police management.

“The area remains a rural one and crime is a problem,” Brink told Rekord.

“Instances of trespassing and eventually land invasions are reported to police who cannot respond in time due to a lack of vehicles at the station.

“Two vehicles are reportedly in for repairs while as many as 30 are needed in order to effectively patrol the area.”

Brink also raised issues regarding the holding cells which were reportedly inadequate.

“We were told in such instances the police would take these people [arrestees] to the Atteridgeville police station but in most cases they are released on a warning only.

“This is very concerning and we want to raise these issues with the police minister.”

Earlier this month, residents in Schurveberg also raised issues around land invasions as the nearby Atteridgeville informal settlement was encroaching on their properties.

At a public meeting with officials, the residents claimed the Erasmia police often cited not having vehicles as an excuse for not attending to issues.

The Erasmia police would not respond to requests for comment at our time of publication.

Source: https://rekord.co.za/255850/issues-around-erasmia-police-station-raised/

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