No help for being on the wrong side of the road
Concerns has been raised over the Boksburg North SAPS not attending a life-threatening situation as it was out of their jurisdiction.
The complaint comes from Jarrod Cross, a Boksburg resident.
According to Cross, a young man who plays soccer with him at Boksburg Football Club requested assistance from the club members on their Whatsapp group saying that he was being threatened by four men with knives.
“He was trapped in an upstairs flat in a building in Cason Road while these men waited for him downstairs. He had contacted the police in Boksburg North, but was told that they were busy,” says Cross.
Cross adds that after deciding it wouldn’t be safe for any of them to go and assist without the police, he phoned Boksburg North police station.
“After waiting several minutes for my call to be answered and explaining that I needed assistance for a friend who was being threatened with assault, I was put through to a captain.
“She asked me where the incident was so I gave the address.”
He says that the captain’s only concern was to ask which side of Cason Road these men where on. The reason being that if it was on the opposite side of the road, it was not their area, and therefore, they were not interested to help.
“The women struggled to write down the address I was giving to her, and I had to repeat myself a number of times because she said that when I was spelling the building’s name, that I was going too fast for her.
“By this time I’d not heard from the youngster, and it had been about half an hour since he’d contacted us.”
“I asked her if an officer from Boksburg North would have to walk across the street to assist someone which is out of their jurisdiction then the officer will not be willing to assist, to which she replied yes, because it depends which side of the road the assault is taking place.
“Again I asked if someone’s life is in danger, will the SAPS still not be willing to assist because the officer hase to walk across the road, to which she replied yes. I was told to phone the Boksburg police station.”
Cross says that he eventually gave up and phoned the Boksburg police.
“They simply asked for the building, and said they’d send someone out and when they arrived, the four men fled the scene.
“I just can’t believe that when you have your life potentially threatened that the police are not willing to respond if they might have to walk 10m out of their jurisdiction.”
He adds that he had a similar experience a few years ago when he was driving along Rondebult Road and he saw a girl crying with her clothes torn.
“I stopped to ask what was wrong, but she ignored me and kept walking along the road sobbing, eventually she said that she’d been raped and dumped on the side of the road.
“I phoned the police to ask for assistance, and explained that the girl was walking along Rondebult Road in Sunward Park. In reaction, the police asked me to explain to them where Rondebult Road was.
“After waiting an hour, they never arrived, and I eventually gave the girl a lift to an area in town she asked me to take her, so that she could go home.”
Cross says that these are the only two times he has ever bothered to phone the police, and on both occasions their service had been shocking.
Lieut Juanita Coetzer, communications officer for the Boksburg North SAPS, says that due to demarcation of the precinct areas, the building does fall under the Boksburg SAPS precinct.
She adds, however, that this is also not a reason not to assist the community.
“We are the police and we are there to serve and protect our community.”
She reminds the community to phone the SAPS emergency number 10111 first, before contacting any police station.
“They will give the complainant a reference number, and the correct police vehicle will be dispatched to the scene.”
Coetzer adds that a formal complaint can be filed at the police station where they experienced a problem, and then the matter can be addressed.
“It is important to remember the date and time when they contacted the station for assistance. This will give an idea of where to start addressing the problem,” she says.
