One officer was recently caught allegedly sleeping on the job.
The resident, who wants to remain anonymous out of fear of being victimised, described the service residents received from the police as “shocking”.
The complainant, along with his girlfriend, went to open a case of assault at the station on Saturday, February 8, when he witnessed the poor service by police officers.
According to the complainant, while at the police station, two young women arrived and told the police that they were threatened by certain men, and they asked the officers for help.
Although according to the complainant there were several police vans parked outside the police station, the police officers working the night-shift at the time of the incident, allegedly told the complainant that there were no vehicles available to the police to attend to the matter.
After the complainants insisted that officers use one of the vehicles that were seen parked outside, officers immediately changed the story and told the complainants that there were no drivers available.
The frustrated complainant noticed that there were enough officers sitting at the Community Service Centre, doing nothing, with one of them sleeping on the job.
He then started taking pictures of the officers, including the officer who was asleep.
“One of the officers that saw me taking these pictures then came from behind the counter and wanted to confiscate my phone, which I refused to give to him,” says the complainant.
“These officers are clearly not in any position to serve and protect the community at large, and are simply there to just receive a salary from the tax we pay from our hard-earned salaries.”
The Advertiser obtained some of the pictures, one showing a police officer asleep on the job.
Spokesperson for the Reiger Park SAPS, Sgt Mashudu Phathela, says the matter will be investigated and it is taken very seriously.
“Appropriate actions will be taken and if necessary, disciplinary action against the involved officers,” says Phathela.
Phathela reminds residents that they have the right to make a complaint against a police officer for any improper police conduct.
I think those police officers should be fired because sleeping on duty is a dismisable offence this country don’t need them their useless.
Well what I can say is that they should fire those lazy police officers and put police that are willing to work and that are not just after woman they see walking in the street and they should put the victims first why be a police officer if you don’t want to do your jobs. I want to be a police officer one of these days and I won’t act like them the reason that guy must have been due to alchole and drinking or partying joh such poor assistance now imagine how they are making the Media and public speak and scared to go to the police station police men and woman please do your jobs that you signed up for don’t do what you doing or ill go to the Minister of police Nathi MATETWA and you will see how far you get