By Everson Luhanga
Disciplinary action will be taken against the Alexandra police duty commander who did not assist community patrollers on Tuesday night.
The patrollers caught two suspected armed robbers at around 2 am and called for police backup, but no officers arrived until after 6 am.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, has asked Johannesburg district commissioner, Major-General Max Masha, to take action against the commander.
The patrollers said they contacted the station commander, who passed the call to the night shift commander. Despite repeated calls for help, they did not receive any response.
Community leaders took the issue to the provincial police office. Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said Mthombeni has asked Masha to address the growing tensions between the Alexandra police and the community patrollers.
Muridili said the incident happened early on Wednesday morning when patrollers detained two suspects with an unlicensed firearm. The police were informed but only showed up after four hours.
“This is not acceptable. We must work together with community groups like the community police forum to fight crime,” said Mthombeni.
The Alexandra station commander has started a disciplinary investigation against the shift commander for not responding to the complaint.
Muridili added that the police will meet with patrollers, community police forum members, and sector commanders to resolve the issue.
Pictured above: The Alexandra police station.
Source: File
