A member of Gugulethu Safety Patrollers, Mzwanele Kopeshe, has accused Gugulethu police station management of failing to support them in their voluntary work in the area.
The initiative was started by the residents in an effort to assist the police officers in their quest to decrease crime in the Gugulethu precinct.
In an interview with Vukani, Mr Kopeshe said they had apprehended a well-known criminal in the area, who had a full police uniform, in Kanana informal settlements towards the end of last year.
He said they handed him over to the police.
Mr Kopeshe, 26, who is a junior youth co-ordinator for the patrollers, said things took an ugly turn in April when they apprehended three well-known and notorious criminals in the area and handed them over to police officers at the station. He said they found dangerous weapons and confiscated them.
He alleges that the boys were released a day after they handed them over to police without any explanation. He claimed that they never assaulted them or any of the other suspects that they had apprehended before. But he said he was shocked when he and two members of the patrollers were arrested on accusations that they had assaulted the suspects.
He said they were arrested a day after they had handed the suspects over to police.
Mr Kopeshe said they were kept at the Gugulethu police station holding cells for five days without being allowed to see their relatives or visitors. He alleged that the food that their families brought them never got to them.
He said they were released on bail of R500 each. He said when they appeared at Athlone Magistrate’s Court, the cases against them were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
“The criminals opened a case against us. But I was shocked that they let them walk when they knew that they were criminals. We apprehended these boys when we searched their homes and discovered stolen items, including dangerous weapons. And they have robbed people in the community before,” he said.
“Every time we apprehend criminals and hand them to police, we are called nasty names by police. Sometimes the officers say we think we are police officers. We have lost faith in the management and leadership of Gugulethu police station,” he said.
Mr Kopeshe claimed that they had tried countless times to arrange a meeting with the station commander but he has repeatedly ignored their requests. He said their mission was to assist the endeavours of the police officers in curbing crime in their area but that has back-fired.
He said they have reported many cases at the station – all of them had been ignored.
He said the patrollers were not being paid for their actions and never wanted that but he said they want the support and recognition of the station at least.
He said some use their own vehicles to patrol at night. “We are putting our lives at risk. Our families are now living in fear because these criminals that we apprehend are released without any valid reason. The police claim that we don’t support them but when we do they treat us badly,” he said.
Mr Kopeshe said he has stepped down from the patrollers because of the current situation.
Gugulethu police station spokeswoman constable Sindiswe Ngqele said the members of Gugulethu Safety Patrollers were arrested on charges of common assault.
She said that they were also linked to a murder case in the area.
Constable Ngqele said they hd been arrested a day before Good Friday and as a result courts were closed and they could only appear after the holiday hence they were kept at the station for five days. She said it was a standard procedures that food was not allowed in holding cells.
She said that they appreciate the efforts by community in assisting them to curb crime but that it was wrong to assault any individual.
However, Mr Kopeshe vehemently denied assaulting anyone. He said the murder case that they were linked to was a mob justice committed by the residents not them.