Eighteen Phoenix metro police officers are still refusing to report to the KwaMashu police station following a court refusal to grant them an interdict to prevent the Durban municipality from shutting down their police station.

The municipality is planning to amalgamate four police stations in the north Durban area and all the affected officers would have to report to work in KwaMashu.

Early last week 20 police officers from Phoenix police station secured an interim interdict to prevent their station from being shut down. On Friday Judge Squires discharged with costs the application brought by the officers.

Durban municipal manager Mike Sutcliffe said he was over the moon about the court judgment, adding that those who continued not to report to the police station would face immediate disciplinary action.

'I am glad that the judge discharged the application'

"I am glad that the judge discharged the application brought by a small group of policemen to try and stop plans to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of metropolitan police services in the north Durban division," he said.

Last week Phoenix residents and metro police held a placard demonstration calling police management to reverse its decision that police officers at Newlands, Greenwood Park, Phoenix and KwaMashu would report to a single point.

They claimed the management had not consulted them before making such a decision.

Sutcliffe said he had learned that some police personnel in Phoenix had private business interests which they were more interested in pursuing, instead of serving the community.

"Residents in Phoenix should be concerned with a situation where, for example, on Christmas day the police station was closed and no police officers were to be found at places such as the Phoenix Plaza," he said.

'When sergeants were off-duty there was no effective chain of command'

Sutcliffe said the new reporting system would bring about coherence to the four separate police stations.

"The problems experienced with the old system in places such as Phoenix was that a 24-hour service was not being provided as required in the Police Act," said Sutcliffe, adding that with each station having limited officers, it became impossible to target certain areas.

In the old system all stations had one sergeant each: Newlands had three police members serving the population of 54 000 and Greenwood Park had six members serving a population of 25 000. Phoenix had 19 members and it served a population of 162 000, while KwaMashu had 25 members serving a population of 475 000.

"When sergeants were off-duty at any of the stations, including Phoenix, there was no effective chain of command," he said.

Sutcliffe said the new system would give each area four sergeants, 54 constables and, in addition, an inspector would be appointed to oversee the operations and activities, reporting to a divisional commander.

With acknowledgement to Bongani Mthembu and Independent Online.