Langebaan Police have been critically understaffed for many years.
Visit the station at night, and you will often find only one person on duty.
If a single officer is alone, how can they monitor the holding cells, assist someone opening a case, and answer the telephone at the same time?
When residents call with complaints, they are often told that no vehicle is available or that the only vehicle is already attending another incident.
The only vehicle.
There is effectively just one vehicle available to serve the whole of Langebaan because there are too few officers.
To have two vehicles on patrol with two officers in each vehicle, plus two people at the station, would require at least six officers on duty per shift. That does not even account for staff who are sick, on leave, or attending training.
Victims of domestic violence have reportedly called for assistance and been told to sort the matter out themselves. Business owners report theft from their premises and are allegedly advised not to open a case, but to deal with the offenders themselves. Residents report thefts, housebreakings, and other crimes and are told that a vehicle is on its way, yet no vehicle arrives.
No response
Detectives often take days to respond, if they respond at all. Fingerprint specialists are seldom called out, and crime scene evidence, such as footprints, is often not collected. Victims are frequently advised not to open a criminal case and instead to obtain an incident or reference number for insurance purposes. This creates the perception that there is little interest in identifying and prosecuting offenders.
The situation has worsened with the transfer of the station commander to Saldanha without a permanent replacement being appointed. An already overstretched and understaffed team is now carrying an even heavier burden without dedicated leadership. Officers attempting to fill the role on an acting basis still have their own responsibilities within the station. At the same time, leave must still be taken, despite there being so few people available to do the work.
Many officers are simply overworked.
Firearm licence applications have also been a source of frustration for years. Applications have reportedly been returned from Vredenburg years later with basic administrative requirements, such as signatures, missing. In some cases, applicants have waited years for progress.
The detective branch has seen a constant turnover of personnel.
Detectives not keen
The community often knows the identities of repeat offenders, yet when residents speak to detectives, they are told those names are unfamiliar.
Cases are opened and then closed shortly afterwards if no immediate evidence is available. Detectives reportedly advise residents not to open cases even in situations where there is video footage, eyewitness testimony, and a named suspect. There is currently no permanent commander for the detective branch following the promotion of the previous commander. The remaining detectives are relatively junior and are expected to manage a growing workload with limited supervision.
How will this situation improve when it appears to be getting worse?
Residents continue to raise concerns about serious crimes that they believe were not properly investigated. There are also ongoing allegations that information about planned drug raids reaches suspects before officers arrive. During some operations, residents claim that warnings are shouted through the streets before police vehicles reach the targeted properties. These concerns are widely discussed within the community.
No matter how attractive the station may appear from the outside, with fresh paint and decorative improvements, appearances alone do not solve the underlying problems. Without strong leadership, adequate staffing levels, and accountability for officers who fail to uphold their duties, even the dedicated and hardworking members of the force may lose hope.
There are good officers in Langebaan Police, and they deserve support.
However, urgent intervention is needed. Management must address the staffing shortages, appoint a station commander and a head of detectives, strengthen investigative capacity, and deal decisively with corruption and misconduct wherever it exists.
Without meaningful action, Langebaan risks facing the same escalating crime challenges experienced in other West Coast towns. The community deserves better, and the time for action is now.
– Langebaan resident
*Weslander received no feedback from the provincial police on the matter.
