WATCH | Abandoned police station now a crime haven

Residents of a North West township have to travel to town to report incidents of crime or certify documents because their police station has since ceased to operate.

The satellite station in Boikhutso, outside Lichtenburg, first abandoned by police, is now a vandalised shell used by young addicts. It is also used by criminals to keep stolen goods.

The residents say thugs store items stolen from them inside the abandoned structure which used to service Boikhutso, Blydeville and surrounding farms.

Residents now to travel to Lichtenburg town centre to access police services.

A Sowetan team visited the area and found a hollow, vandalised shell, with broken windows and stripped walls.

“The vandalism has broken the trust in the SAPS. Stolen goods end up in their abandoned building.” - Rodney Phale, a councillor

The fence and gate have been torn down. There are no more doors inside. The lights have been removed while bricks are scattered on the floor.

Outside, overgrown grass has taken over the grounds.

Next to the police building stands a former satellite municipal office, which has also been destroyed. That too has inconvenienced the residents who used to rely on the office for municipal services.

A block away, a community hall also stands as another landmark of vandalism.

Rodney Phale, a PR councillor via Patriotic Alliance in the Ditsobotla local municipality, told Sowetan the police station was abandoned without explanation.

“ They (police) just removed everything and left,” he said.

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Phale said the community and some officers took it upon themselves to restore the building after it was initially left unused.

This was after asking for donations from local businesses, including the taxi associations. He said the police management at the time said officers would be deployed to the station after the community fixed it.

However, that never happened, he said.

Phale said the closure of the station has led to increased crime and slower police response.

He said residents, especially those in informal settlements, struggled to report crimes.

“The toll-free number is not effective enough for other communities. Reporting crime is now a challenge as people have lost hope in seeing police. They are told there is a lack of vehicles and staff.”

He said the vandalised building is now a hiding place for criminals.

“People are even doing drugs in the same building. Stealing people’s furniture and bringing it here,” Phale said.

“The vandalism has broken the trust in the SAPS. Stolen goods end up in there.”

Russell Modikanyane, 42, who was among residents who helped renovate the station, said the community had made multiple attempts to restore the facility.

“We put it together as the community - twice. We asked for donations and people came on board. We had people for electricity and tiling,” he said.

“We spoke to the station commander at the time and told him that we were volunteering and didn’t want money. All we needed were officers to start working here. We were promised that once it is fixed then they will deploy people there.”

Modikanyane said those promises were never fulfilled.

Another resident, Molefi Modise, said life was more difficult and unsafe without the police station.

“We don’t know where to look for help. Even crime has increased in our township,” Modise said.

“We don’t even have officers who patrol here. We are not safe, and are inconvenienced. If I want an affidavit or to certify documents I have to go to town.”

Modise said residents spend about R30 on transport to travel to and from the police station in town.

Mmama Moroke, 39, said many residents cannot afford to travel to access police services.

“When people die or there is crime, we don’t have money to go to the police station. Some of us are unemployed,” she said.

“We are pleading for our police station to be fixed because people’s lives are in danger.”

The trip from the abandoned satellite station to the Lichtenburg police station takes about 10 minutes.

An officer told Sowetan the Boikhutso facility was abandoned due to staff shortages.

Another officer blamed the community for the abandonment: “ They were attacking the police officers there. During the process of renovation, they were taking door handles, roofs and hinges and even bricks.”

Provincial police spokesperson Capt Majang Skalkie had not responded to questions sent to him on Monday.

Sowetan