The DA welcomes the approval by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro council today (subs: 23 Feb 2017) for land to be allocated in Bloemendal for an additional police station in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth.

The fight against gangsterism in the Northern Areas must be treated as a war and every resource available needs to be harnessed.  The SAPS must now prioritise and expedite the building of this station.

I will be submitting legislature questions to the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Weziwe Tikana, for time-frames for the building of this police station.

For four years I have been campaigning for an additional station in that area to alleviate the pressure on the Gelvandale and Bethelsdorp police stations.  This process has been a long time coming and under the new DA-led municipality, is gaining momentum.

The DA is passionately committed to the right of all people in the Northern Areas to live in a safe environment.  Children should feel free to play where they want and families should go to bed at night knowing they are safe.

The DA will continue to fight for better policing in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth. — Bobby Stevenson MPL, Shadow MEC for Safety and Security