Cape Town - Meet Colonel Hendrie Hugo, Manenberg police station’s new station commander. He is tasked with tackling one of Cape Town’s most volatile areas rampant with drug abuse, crime and gangsterism.
He succeeds Brigadier André van Dyk who spent eight years in the service of the Manenberg community.
Hugo, the former provincial commander of Police Emergency Services, said he was excited about the challenge he faces in his new ward.
The 49-year-old police officer – born and bred in Elsies River – has more than 30 years of policing experience and would not let statistics or media reports intimidate him.
“My focus would be drugs and gangsterism. The community is crying out because the gangs are taking over our streets with drugs easily available,” he said.
Hugo describes his credentials as “balanced”. He had worked in a number of police units, including operational and support service structures.
This, he said, makes him a welcomeaddition to the Manenberg police team.
“I was the provincial commander at the Operation Co-ordination Centre which is responsible for all operations. When my superiors have a tough situation, they call on me to resolve it and get it working together again.”
He said his mission would be to build a relationship with community members, NGOs, faith-based organisations and the community policing forum.
“With the community, I would like to start a revolution to unite against a common enemy. I want the community to also take responsibility of their area, I want to help them take that responsibility seriously.
“Unemployment, the environmental design, and poverty are factors that contribute to crime, drugs and gangsterism. We also need to look at that,” he said.
Cape Argus