Residents of Walmer Township in Nelson Mandela Bay took to the streets on Tuesday morning to demand that authorities establish a permanent police station in the area.
Matters came to a head after a long-standing facility that was used as a police station was closed down several months ago, apparently due to infrastructure issues.
Residents used burning tyres and other debris to block Victoria and Buffelsfontein Drives and the 9th Avenue entrance to Walmer Township, disrupting early morning traffic flow.
Two people were arrested for public violence.
A community leader, who spoke to the media, said that they were demanding that the police station is reopened and that it must be staffed 24 hours a day.
"This township is high crime zone. We cannot, in this day and age, not have a police station. It is unfair to us. We are feeling that in this Nelson Mandela Bay Metro we are being left out," he said.
ANC branch executive committee member in Walmer Township, Lisa Gotyana, said it is "dangerous" for the Walmer Township community not to have a police station serving the community.
Gotyana said it's far for people, who are experiencing problems of crime, to go to 8th Avenue where the Walmer Police Station is situated.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, said that an arrangement has been made between Walmer Police Management and the local councillor to ensure that policing services are reinstated.
"The councillor has offered us (SAPS) a room at the Council offices where we will post two SAPS members to staff the facility during the night shift. People can then come to the Councillor's office to report whatever needs they have and the SAPS will attend to them from there," Naidu said.
She added that the four people arrested on a charge of Public Violence will be processed accordingly and they will appear in court on Wednesday.
(Pics: Neil Bisseker)
