LESS than three years after it opened, the metro police precinct in Bethelsdorp is slowly falling apart due to vandalism.
Residents now fear that the precinct, one of four in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, has become a safety hazard, after parts of its roof caved in recently when vandals stole the roof sheeting.
Apart from this, the wired fence has large gaping holes, big enough for someone to crawl through.
It was a day of great pride for the Bay when then mayor, Athol Trollip, officially opened the precinct in July 2017 and excitedly took the media on a tour of the facility. Clean walls and ceilings, new floors and furniture in an outstanding condition greeted the media.
Now however, residents are being greeted by a parking area that used to be undercover, but all the roof sheeting stolen over the past years, have left an unused open space.
As recently as last week, a suspect was arrested in Lodewyk Street after allegedly stealing the roof sheeting of the precinct’s parking area.
Police spokesperson, Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg, confirmed the incident and said that a charge had been laid. The suspect has already appeared in court.
Ward councillor, Helga van Staaden, expressed her shock and concern at the condition of the building.
“This has been happening for quite some time and vandals are not only targeting the metro police precinct, but other municipal buildings too,” she said.
According to her, the vandals and thieves are becoming quite comfortable because the metro police officials are barely there.
“They leave their equipment and head off to the streets to fight crime. Meanwhile, the thugs are having a field day, stealing and vandalising,” she added.
Van Staaden said thieves were taking chances because they knew there was nothing happening at the precinct most of the time.
“They loot the place piece by piece and it’s as a result of negligence. One of these days, the vandals will probably get away with the pipes and taps too,” she emphasised.
Van Staaden said a public meeting was held on Wednesday, March 4, to discuss this issue.
Representatives of the metro police also attended. “They had a lot to say about how the community should police their police stations, but residents also fear for their lives.
“We just feel that the building could have been put to much better use.”
Yolande Faro, metro police chief in the metro, said the Bethelsdorp precinct was not a walk-in centre that was open 24 hours, but that officials were deployed from this precinct as it was a satellite office.
She also confirmed that two suspects connected to the vandalism and theft of the roof sheeting incident last week, were arrested by metro police officials on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
“The damages to the building will be repaired and the fencing reinforced,” she added.
At the time of going to print, Faro, who planned on providing additional information, was in a meeting and could not deliver further comment.
