“Imagine a world where you can’t reach the police by phone.”
This was a comment on the HeraldLIVE Facebook page this week on an article about a romantic anniversary celebration that turned into a couple’s worst nightmare — only they did not have to imagine this scenario of a world where police are unreachable.
The couple, retracing the steps of their first date, made their way to Gqeberha’s iconic Shark Rock Pier where they shared their first kiss a year ago.
What they thought would be the perfect end to their night, going to several places along the beachfront which they had visited on their first date, soon turned into a nightmare involving armed thugs.
It was while standing on the pier that they were surrounded by a group of men.
“Two were standing next to me, another two were behind my boyfriend, and three or four others were boxing us in between themselves and the railing.
“My first reaction was to scream,” the woman said.
“But then one of them pressed a gun right against my forehead, another one put a gun to my chest, and I could feel a third gun pressed against my back.
“The one with the gun to my head just looked at me and shushed me.”
Meanwhile, the other robbers had forced her boyfriend to the ground and rummaged through his pockets.
The culprits took her handbag, containing her cellphone, wallet and other items, and then took off with her boyfriend’s cellphone and bakkie keys.
What followed was a frenzied rush to telephonically contact or wave down passing police — to no avail — and to get their bakkie, the keys to which their assailants had taken, to safety.
There were similar sentiments regarding police presence, with another Facebook user saying “they only crawl out of their holes on ‘special occasions’,” further perpetuating the perception that policing in Nelson Mandela Bay — in fact, in SA — is a joke.
Access to reliable emergency services is a fundamental right that underpins the safety and security of any society.
It is crucial for governments and law enforcement agencies to ensure that these services are accessible, responsive and trustworthy.
Failure to do so not only endangers individual lives but also erodes the foundation of a just and orderly society, and creates an environment in which criminals thrive.
HeraldLIVE
Dysfunctional police services SA’s nightmare
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Image: GARETH WILSON
“Imagine a world where you can’t reach the police by phone.”
This was a comment on the HeraldLIVE Facebook page this week on an article about a romantic anniversary celebration that turned into a couple’s worst nightmare — only they did not have to imagine this scenario of a world where police are unreachable.
The couple, retracing the steps of their first date, made their way to Gqeberha’s iconic Shark Rock Pier where they shared their first kiss a year ago.
What they thought would be the perfect end to their night, going to several places along the beachfront which they had visited on their first date, soon turned into a nightmare involving armed thugs.
It was while standing on the pier that they were surrounded by a group of men.
“Two were standing next to me, another two were behind my boyfriend, and three or four others were boxing us in between themselves and the railing.
“My first reaction was to scream,” the woman said.
“But then one of them pressed a gun right against my forehead, another one put a gun to my chest, and I could feel a third gun pressed against my back.
“The one with the gun to my head just looked at me and shushed me.”
Meanwhile, the other robbers had forced her boyfriend to the ground and rummaged through his pockets.
The culprits took her handbag, containing her cellphone, wallet and other items, and then took off with her boyfriend’s cellphone and bakkie keys.
What followed was a frenzied rush to telephonically contact or wave down passing police — to no avail — and to get their bakkie, the keys to which their assailants had taken, to safety.
There were similar sentiments regarding police presence, with another Facebook user saying “they only crawl out of their holes on ‘special occasions’,” further perpetuating the perception that policing in Nelson Mandela Bay — in fact, in SA — is a joke.
Access to reliable emergency services is a fundamental right that underpins the safety and security of any society.
It is crucial for governments and law enforcement agencies to ensure that these services are accessible, responsive and trustworthy.
Failure to do so not only endangers individual lives but also erodes the foundation of a just and orderly society, and creates an environment in which criminals thrive.
HeraldLIVE
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