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After intense lobbying by local residents and authorities, the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate's Court is finally up and running.
The doors of the modern building in Marine Way - the old railway building - officially opened on April 1 and by this week the court rooms were packed with residents seeking justice and suspects facing the long arm of the law.
This after the Plettenberg Bay Periodical Court was closed on August 1, 2011 when the Justice Department refused to send a magistrate, prosecutor and administrative staff to the court as it felt traveling to Plett was a security risk to staff.
Since the closure residents, the Bitou Municipality and other roleplayers have placed pressure on government to reopen the court and one of these measures was a petition signed by about 5000 residents and visitors who felt that the closure was a "complete disregard for the administration of justice in the area and the consequent safety and security of residents".
During the lobbying period Plettenberg Bay community policing forum vice-chairman Otto Olivier said one of the reasons the town needed a court was that once a suspect had been arrested in Plett, police officers had to take him or her to Knysna to appear in court - leaving Plett with fewer vehicles and officers to fight crime locally.
He added conviction and sentencing also took a long time as cases were postponed regularly due to suspects not having transport to get to court. Witnesses also often refused to fork out on transport costs to make their way to Knysna, which led to several cases being struck off the court roll.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Marlene Pieterse said the new court prevented this from happening. "Witnesses now don't have to travel all that way and the whole process is just so much quicker," Pieterse said.
Local councillor Wayne Craig said a lot of hard work went into bringing back the local court. "I must just compliment the Department of Public Works for getting things going. Everyone played a role and these efforts paid off," Craig said.
Olivier said he too was "very glad" that local cases could now again be dealt with locally. "It is going to have a positive impact on crime in our town," Olivier said.
