Police minister Bheki Cele officially commissioned the Daggakraal Police Station in Mpumalanga yesterday. The station will service about 35 thousand rural residents of the community.
Daggakraal residents in Mpumalanga will have some measure of comfort, knowing they now have a fully-fledged police station.
The minister was accompanied by National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole and Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Vusi Shongwe for the commissioning.
During his address, Cele emphasised that access to a responsive police service is not a privilege but a right.
He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to continue to fast track the accessibility to a police officer or policing services for all South Africans and those who live within the country’s borders.
The rural community of Daggakraal was grappling with high crime rates especially incidents of stock theft, house breaking, varied cases of assault and sexual violence. Residents of the area had been reliant on a satellite station to access police services.
The newly unveiled police station boasts a community service centre, holding cells and victim friendly rooms (VFR) to accommodate victims and survivors of Gender-Based Violence amongst other things.
With fifty-one operational and non-operational officers drafted to the station, the Daggakraal police station joins the list of 1,159 police stations that are servicing communities across the country. Daggakraal is home to the upcoming household brands from clothing to food, filming, manufacturing and more.