A series of break-ins at the Pietermaritzburg Detective Branch has raised serious concerns about the protection of police case files and evidence, after burglars again gained access to offices at the facility over the festive period. The incident occurred during the last weekend of December and was the third incident this newspaper has been alerted to. In August, thieves entered the city centre premises by breaking the office’s windows and took two laptops.
In November, employees noticed a broken window at their offices and, upon inspection, found that various computer equipment and office stationery were missing. Also last year, a vagrant set fire to a police vehicle in the parking area at the main station. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said no police information or documents were stolen during the break-in, which affected seven offices.
He said a heater and a kettle belonging to members were stolen and that a police computer with no sensitive information was stolen from the office, but was recovered in the female toilets. When asked about the effectiveness of security at the building, given the frequency of break-ins, Netshiunda said CCTV cameras were in good working order, but acknowledged that blind spots had been exploited by suspects. It is worth noting that with the building being a heritage building, the SA Police Service (SAPS) has no authority to make any alterations, whether security-related or not. “The KZN Heritage Resources Authority and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) are responsible for the building,” Netshiunda said.
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