Dear Editor,
The failure by the Charity police to enforce the law by prosecuting perpetrators of noise nuisance emanating from business places just under the nose of the station, is responsible for an escalation of the problem of which we are the victims. The police have a responsibility to protect society; it is not a favour. When ranks shirk from doing this their operations do not in comformity with the ambit of the law.
Unless the law is respected and properly executed, further lawlessness and chaos will be inevitable with all forms of violation taking place.
On Saturday, December 21 2013; Sunday, December 22; Monday, December 23; Tuesday, December 24; Monday, January 6, 2014;and as recently as Monday, January 13, calls and visits were made to the Charity Police Station to make reports and give statements about loud music being played at a bar which is near to us.
Why do we have to leave our homes in the middle of the night to go to Charity Police Station to plead with the police to have this noise turned down, and in spite of doing so, the police seem unable to take the necessary action to stop this lawlessness.
Over the past two months, several reports and statements have been given to the police, and several court days have passed, yet we have not been asked to attend court to give evidence as the police have taken no action on our reports.
Our concern right now is that it seems as though that some people are more equal than others in the eyes of the law, and the reason for believing so is that on Monday, December 2,3 2013 at around 10:00 hours, a person was arrested and locked up for playing loud music in one of the back streets at Charity, a place which is a far distance from the police station and so the noise could not have affected the police station or us who live in full sight of the police station. We find this action by the police indicative of a double standard and even discriminatory against us. If this person had committed an offence then the police had their constitutional duty to perform, but we cannot understand how the police can arrest a person who was playing music far away and out of sight of the police station and in the case of persons playing very loud and thunderous music in full sight of the police station with the music even causing vibrations to the station and homes close by, no action was taken by the police to stop the lawlessness.
The constitution states clearly that everybody is equal in the eyes of the law and no one is above the law, so we are appealing to the Police Commissioner, that should this be a case of double standards he should use his constitutional office to put an end to it.
There were several statements from the Home Affairs Minister and the Commissioner in the print and electronic media indicating that should residents have any issue with noise nuisance a report and statement must be given to the relevant police station in the district so that the police could prosecute the perpetrators of this offence.
We have done as was advised and it is left now to the police administration in this division to carrying out their oath of office and their constitutional duty to protect us from this lawlessness. Up to the time of preparing this letter, no action had been taken by the police to prosecute the offenders of this nuisance.
Yours faithfully,
(Names and addresses of three
signatories provided)
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee for any comment he might wish to make.
