The Cape Flats Safety Forum (CFSF) embarked on a protest outside the Mitchells Plain police station on Thursday, to demands answers from its management.

This is in light of the recent discovery that firearms kept at the station had been stolen last year, and that a police officer had been arrested in connection with the matter in November.

READ MORE: Firearms theft at Mitchell’s Plain SAPS under investigation

Members of the CFSF were joined by members of the community, to handover their memorandum of demands to police management. All of their demands (as received) are as follows:

1. Why was this kept under wraps?
2. Why was the Community Policing Forum silent on this matter? They must be dissolved immediately as they are not the voice of the community.
3. Station commander (SC) and management team to be suspended without pay, immediately, as a precedent was set in 2017 with the then SC and management team.
4. As community members we need answers pertaining this matter, as too many of our young people are dying via a gun, and blood flowing our streets daily.
5. We want to know who is enabling gangsters to kill.
6. We want quarterly lifestyle audit to be done on all members of Mitchell’s Plain SAPS.
7. Station to be placed under administration until every firearm has been retrieved.

Phillips says the forum is giving police management (as well as provincial and national structures) two weeks to respond to their demands.

“We are requesting a response within 14 days; via the provincial cluster commander, via the Provincial Commissioner [and] the National Commissioner… and the Minister [of police] must respond.”

Community Policing Forum responds

The Mitchell’s Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF) has distanced itself from the firearms theft incident. The CPF’s Veranique Williams says they were also kept out of the loop – despite claims that they’re aware of the matter and chose to remain silent.

“The issue of the missing firearms and other exhibits was only shared with the CPF after we requested an urgent meeting with SAPS management. The station commander never communicated with us, until recently we found out.”

Williams says the CPF is also seeking answers from the police station.