The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape has arranged an urgent oversight inspection to Tsineng police station in the Joe Morolong area for tomorrow, following an armed robbery at the police station on Saturday. A police officer was held at gunpoint while suspects made off with a large number of firearms and ammunition.
This comes at a time when unrest and a failed “insurrection” hangs like a dark cloud over the country.
The suspects allegedly got away with three R5 rifles with two magazines and 37 rounds of ammunition, two 12-bore pump actions with 103 rounds of ammunition, eight 9 mm pistols with five magazines and 98 rounds of ammunition.
This is a very serious and threatening act of criminality and cannot be allowed to glide under the radar. It is no secret that, following the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, there have been reports about looming attacks on police stations. This is in addition to the massive theft of ammunition from the Durban harbour.
This happens during a time when the government wants people to give up their firearms as a form of self-defence, while more and more criminals are busy arming themselves.
The DA will embark on a fact-finding mission to Tsineng police station, to listen first hand to the accounts of those who witnessed this attack on our police and on our safety. I will also be in contact with the Acting Provincial Commissioner, General Joey Kers, to assess the state of safety of our police stations, that already face a known shortage of about 500 police officers.
I have further reported the matter to my colleagues at national, for them to urgently take up at a parliamentary level with the Public Safety and Justice Cluster.
Our police stations cannot become sitting ducks, at the mercy of criminals. They need to be secured. Weapons also need to be kept in the right hands, of trustworthy police officers and law abiding citizens, and not criminals and terrorists.
The DA Provincial Spokesperson of Transport, Safety & Liaison, Ofentse Mokae MPL, will be joined by Cllr Koketso Paul of the John Taole Gaetsewe District Municipality on their oversight inspection.
