South Africans can now report service delivery complaints regarding the police directly to Minister Fikile Mbalula.
Known as #MyPoliceStation, the Police Minister Mbalula said the campaign is critical, as many people visit police stations in distress.
“This campaign has been motivated by many cases reported to me, in particular, the case of Constable LC Phaswane of Sandton police station, who used State resources to deal with her personal issues while ignoring our people who came for service,” Minister Mbalula said in a statement.
In a video that has been shared on social media, Constable LC Phaswane can be seen on the phone, dealing with personal matters, while ignoring people waiting to be helped.
“I can confirm that disciplinary processes have been initiated and this must serve as a warning to other rotten potatoes. We will not tolerate rogue elements within our ranks. We must name and shame them,” said Minister Mbalula.
The Minister hopes the #MyPoliceStation campaign will go a long way to strengthen the partnership between police and communities.
Minister Mbalula, who has over one million followers on the social media network Twitter, has instructed all SAPS generals in different provinces to respond to these complaints and take them seriously.
However, the Minister also warned people not use this campaign to report old cases or hoax cases.
"People must report genuine cases, as scarce resources will be used to resolve these complaints. Therefore, people must not abuse this campaign by reporting false or hoax cases. We need accurate information, the address of incident, police station, town and province to optimally respond.”
Minister Mbalula said the campaign does not replace a police station but allows the public to inform him about service delivery failures of specific police stations.
“Cases get reported at the police station. When you experience bad service, report the police officer, the police station and the province.”
This campaign is meant to put people first as Batho Pele government principle demands from all civil servants. - SAnews.gov.za
