Satellite police station in Philippi without power for two years

Cape Town – The Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the sub forums in Philippi have raised concerns about the Browns Farm satellite police station that is only open until 5pm because of electricity problems.

Nyanga CPF chairperson Martin Makhasi said the problems at the station have a negative impact on service delivery.

“My appeal is for the police facility management to seriously attend to challenges of the Philippi Browns Farm or provide alternative accommodation or provide parkhomes like the structures in Samora Machel police station, to ease stress levels from members deployed in that area,” said Makhasi.

Philippi CPF secretary Melikhaya Gadeni said the situation in the Browns Farm satellite police station hindered the community from receiving services from the police.

Community safety standing committee chairperson in the Western Cape Legislature Reagan Allen said upon an oversight visit to the satellite police station, they found that it had been limited to operating until 5pm due to being without power for two years.

Allen said they were concerned given that the station served parts of Nyanga and Philippi which are priority crime hotspots.

“Though I understand that a generator has been used to perform basic administrative tasks, one month without a reliable supply is one too many, let alone two years,” said Allen.

Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the facility was opened in a bid to bring policing services closer to the Brown’s Farm community.

Potelwa said that SAPS was not a tenant on the premises and the building belongs to the Department of Public Works.

She said the police management had been in engagement with a number of parties, in an effort to ensure they rendered an uninterrupted service closer to the community while at the same time seeing to the safety of police officers deployed at the satellite station.

“Recently (three days ago), a verbal offer was made through the Western Cape provincial commissioner by the City of Cape Town for an alternative premises,” said Potelwa.

Allen welcomed the efforts by the City in offering to provide alternative premises and that of the provincial government for filling the gaps in safety responses in the province.

He said remedial efforts by the police itself were desperately needed to maintain a proper standard of operationality.

Gadeni said now that they would be relocating meant that residents will be deprived of having police services within in walking distance.