The police chief at the Kensington police station near the city of Cape Town in South Africa has asked for a transfer after she received death threats from local gangsters. The new head of the police station (Lieutenant-colonel Fannie Scanlyn) confirmed the transfer. In the past few months gangsters have shot dead several police officials. In addition, two other people connected to the Kensington police station (and who are community workers) were also threatened and their names also appeared on the gang hit list. One of the community workers sold his house immediately.
He also closed down his place of business. He said he has a family to protect.
Policeman speaks out
A policeman who declined to be named told Blasting News this week that the gangsters have superseded Crime fighting and are in charge of the streets, bringing havoc to the communities. A community worker said she was warned at gun-point not to fight against crime. Members of the local neighborhood security in sleepy middle-class Kensington were also warned by gangsters.
Inadequate policing
We visited the Kensington police station this week and found one policeman on duty and one police van with only two cops outside on patrol. While Blasting News visited the cop shop, a crime was happening at about 10 PM South African time on Sunday evening.
Two gangsters wielding firearms were in the process of robbing a corner café. But there was no police van available to confront the robbers. The police only responded more than an hour later after having received an urgent call from the residents surrounding the shop.
While this was happening, another guy walking home from work down the streets sent an urgent message to his online buddies that he was robbed of his belongings and stabbed several times in his upper body.
He said he was bleeding profusely. There was no police van and there was no ambulance within the ensuing hour. Kensington has fallen victim to crime due to surrounding squatter camps and the adjacent low-cost housing scheme in Factreton town. One resident told Blasting News that there are six squatter camps where they sell drugs and where hardened gangsters hang out. The church leaders in the area are saying everyone must stand up against the scourge of gangsters and drugs here.
