HUMAN CHAIN: The community of Kensington marched to the police station to hand over a memorandum. Some of the problems they want action on, are the crime rate, drugs and lack of support from the police.Picture: Phando Jikelo HUMAN CHAIN: The community of Kensington marched to the police station to hand over a memorandum. Some of the problems they want action on, are the crime rate, drugs and lack of support from the police.Picture: Phando Jikelo
About 300 people marched from the Kensington and Factreton communities in solidarity and called for more police resources to be deployed in the area following what they said was a spike in gang violence.
Residents expressed their disdain for gangsterism and concern at the “lack of resources”.
Leading the human chain, were local religious leaders of the Christian and Muslim faiths.
“Our community is being held hostage every single day. What we are asking for is basic necessities that every community needs,” said resident, Mariam Oliver.
Kensington CPF secretary Cheslyn Steenberg said: “We are demanding more dedicated and permanent staff and additional police vehicles to be made available, because without proper policing, these gangsters are able to do what they want.”
Residents have described the lack of policing resources in their area as a life-threatening shortage and said the ratio was sometimes one officer to 11 000 people.
In a complaint sent to provincial police commissioner Khombinkosi Jula, resident Kevin Alexander said Kensington and Factreton had a population of about 22000 people, and there were frequently only four members on duty at a time, which meant a police/ population ratio of 1:5 500.
They are also demanding a satellite police station to control the gang violence, a moratorium on new liquor licence applications and the closing down of suspected drug dens.
Residents say that they have been experiencing daily shootings.
“It has almost become a norm to be inside your house by 10pm in fear of what might happen. That is no way to live.’’ said Factreton resident Angelo Baker.
In an email sent to Community Safety MEC Dan Plato the residents said: “Our biggest fear is that these behaviours could soon become the new normality.”
Last year, the Social Justice Coalition and Equal Education took the then-minister of police to court on police resource allocation.
The case is expected to be heard in the Western Cape High Court next month.