Durban - Concerned about rising crime, the community of Reservoir Hills have their fingers crossed that their plea for their own police station is successful.
More than 1 000 people staged a march on Saturday to highlight the escalating crime in the suburb. Residents from other areas, also concerned about rising crime levels, joined in to highlight the issue.
Afterwards, organisers met Community Safety MEC Willies Mchunu and handed over a memorandum of requests.
Top of their list was for the satellite station, which the Reservoir Hills community had funded - and which had never been used by police - to be up and running.
“We asked that it be re-opened in 14 days and manned by qualified staff, not reservists,” said Sankith Hannuman, the march chairman.
He would be “quite shocked” if their request fell on deaf ears.
“The MEC said that it was not an unreasonable request.”
Sipho Khumalo, the spokesman for the KZN Department of Community Safety and Liaison, said the MEC would raise the residents’ issues with the provincial and national police commissioners.
“He will do his best to address the concerns of the community,” he said.
The MEC had praised the community for the stand they had taken against crime, which was in line with the department’s flagship programme to forge a united front against crime. He added that Mchunu wished that the action of the community could be duplicated in other areas in the province.
Quoting the MEC, Khumalo said: “We have said time and again that police alone can’t resolve the challenge of crime.
“We need all community sectors to rise against crime and criminals and claim back their space from criminals.”
The MEC promised to return to the suburb to personally give a report back, Khumalo said.
Daily News