Residents in Atlantis have accused police in the area of brutality and not serving the community, adding that they have lost faith in them.
According to EWN, residents claimed that police victimised them daily. Some said they had even resorted to not approaching the local police station anymore, as they knew they would never get the assistance they wanted.
“Our justice system has failed us big time. Our police are not helping our people at all, they can’t keep our area safe. They can’t come up against the gangsters in our areas,” one of the residents was quoted as saying.
‘We’ll make a difference’
Western Cape police admitted that the situation in Atlantis was concerning, adding that a new station commander had since been appointed and “we’ll make a difference in that area”.
Incidents of police brutality and tensions between officers and residents have been reported in the past.
In March, residents accused the police of allegedly manhandling and swearing at a woman in front of her 9-year-old child.
The broadcasting television channel eNCA reported at the time that the woman had been arrested for contempt of court.
The report quoted the Human Rights Commission as saying it was dealing with more than a dozen cases of police brutality in Atlantis.
Picture: Cape Town etc gallery