Policing in Peril

Trust has been broken, bridges are burnt and as for a solution? is there one? Stacy Moreland, Tamsin Green and Sarah Cohen investigate the damaged relationship between the community and local police.

On the subject of South African policing there is much to be said. Some communities praise their efficiency and the speed at which they appear in times of peril, but next door their neighbouring communities condemn them for being “useless” and understaffed and would rather call a private security company. Is there any hope of an improved channel of communication between Grahamstown communities and the police or was the divide set in stone many years ago?

The truth is, improvements have been made since 1994, when the South African Police Force was subject to an image make-over and became the South African Police Service. The name wasn’t the only article that was to change; the SAPS vowed to put aside gun practice for a while to become a more service orientated unit. From then on the police were trained to be community policemen. Captain Green of the Grahamstown police recalls how the police service strove to improve their image by changing the colour of police vehicles from a solid blue so that they didn’t come across as so ‘menacing’.

By changing their image, the police hoped to appear to the public as approachable and involved, but some residents in Somerset Heights and surrounding suburbs protest that they are still waiting to see that change arrive at their door. Neil Webb, a Grahamstownion living in Somerset Heights feels he has experienced the opposite of community service from the police “I want to be able to talk to them and for them to take my statement correctly, but they are very unapproachable” he reveals, adding that when he has called them on occasion “nothing happens. They just don’t arrive”. When it comes to solutions, he doesn’t have much faith in there being one. But how far does the service orientated approach to policing actually go?

Advocate Trish Armstrong, Chief of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Police believes that if the community and police actively work together you can “really make an impact on crime”. Advocate Armstrong was a director responsible for operational workings between the police and public in Ekurhuleni, formerly know as East Rand, and she paints a different picture of where policing stops and where the community needs to step in. “Police do not attend to the social aspect of crime. They are a service, but not a social service” she reveals, “They cannot be your mother and your psychologist too”. Her solution for fighting crime is simply that the community should help the police in areas where they cannot help themselves. Her solution is rational in theory, but what the community needs to have proven is if it’s successful in practice.

“A community and police forum is the most important way to improve the relationship” says Inspector Milanda Coetzer, a Crime Intelligence Official in Grahamstown. The Community Police Forum in Grahamstown offers residents and police the opportunity to meet and discuss concerns as well as make suggestions, yet conflict exists surrounding whether the suggestions of the community are taken seriously enough to be put into action. Neil Webb, whose wife was in the forum for two years, expressed frustration that problems are brought up time and time again yet there is no follow-up, while Tariq Hayat of Curry Park has a conflicting opinion. Hayat is currently an active member in the police forum and sees there to be “no problems” concluding that “they do cooperate”.

Whether or not people disapprove of the SAPS, it is safe to say that they are a necessity. Lackluster communication has led to a fractured relationship between some of the citizens of Grahamstown and the local police and a middle ground must be established. Dave Robertson of Oatlands North sees a solution within the community itself and urges the community to communicate better with each other. “A lot of people don’t know who their neighbours are and the criminals are clever, they know this”, he says. Robertson believes that just having a good relationship with your neighbours is a step towards fighting and preventing crime, “It is a simple as phoning your neighbour if you hear his alarm going off or if you see someone suspicious in the area”. Captain Green backs up Robertson’s solution adding that the community should be “the eyes and ears” of the police.

While many of the residents in Somerset Heights and Oatland North are taking security into their own hands, they cannot ultimately fight crime with high walls and intimidating dogs. The police forum represents a practical middle ground where Grahamstown residents who are unsatisfied with police services can voice their opinions directly and where solutions can be born. The Community Service Centre of the Police Station houses also a suggestion box where anyone can bring forth their concerns. It would be a fine accomplishment for the relationship between police and public to go beyond reporting crime and move towards preventing crime together.