At least three holding cells at the Kensington Police Station are now operational, which allows for perpetrators to be arrested and detained on-site, improving response efficiency.
The station has 10 holding cells which have not been functional for more than three years due to maintenance challenges.
As a result, in the recent past detainees were transferred to Maitland Police Station, situated roughly 5 km from the area. Ward 56 councillor Cheslyn Steenberg brought this to the attention of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police in April.
At the time, police management at the station told People’s Post that repair works, which include plumbing, painting, replacement of burglar bars and repairing the locks on the gates, will start in August.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) previously said in a press statement “the Kensington Police Station has been devolved to the South African Police Service”, meaning that it is responsible for the station and not the DPWI.
Station commander Lt Col Nkosinathi Losini said the three cells have been operational since Friday 15 August. “We can now process and detain suspects. This is a big relief for us. The contractors managed to fix some of the cells that had minor maintenance challenges.”
According to Losini, contractors are working to restore the remaining cells but could not specify an exact date of when they will be functional.
Sam April, Kensington community policing forum (CPF) chair, expressed relief that their pleas have finally been heard.
“It was a battle to get the holding cells operable again. We were concerned about the basic human rights of the detainees. We continued to put pressure on the police management to get the cells ready. We will continue to request monthly updates from the police until all the cells have been reopened.”
Cheslyn Steenberg, Ward 56 councillor, welcomed the progress made.
“I want to applaud the tenacity of the residents of the ward for ensuring that they keep the pressure on the police and hold them accountable. I want to remind the police that allow their facility to fall to ruins.”
