Louis Trichardt - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has promised more visible policing in South Africa's rural areas during the opening of two police stations in Limpopo.
The minister on Friday opened the Botlokwa Police Station in Botlokwa outside Louis Trichardt and Jane Furse Police Station in Jane Furse.
"When we opened these police stations, we provided everything, including cars, to make sure that our communities are no longer told there are no cars when they go to open cases," said Mthethwa.
He said society looked to the police to fight the evil deeds of crime and corruption and to succeed in this work, police officers had to be upright themselves. "We must ensure that our performance is beyond reproach for us to win the confidence of the people we serve."
Mthethwa said he was aware of police officers who refused to attend to community members who visited police stations and assured that such officers would be removed from service.
"I am appealing to the community to report all officers who ill-treat them so that we can deal with them," he said, adding that no mercy would be shown to lazy or corrupt police officers and that the rights of criminals should not supersede those of law-abiding citizens.
"We are going to make sure that police rule the streets instead of criminals ruling the streets," he said. "Our mothers and children must walk in the street, even at night, without being afraid of getting raped and killed."
Mthethwa said the first step in ensuring the arrest of criminals was for members of the community to report them to the police.
"Equally, police have a duty and responsibility to act expeditiously to investigate and apprehend these thugs," said Mthethwa.
Botlokwa Police Station Commissioner Lieutenant Colonel Nditsheni Thukhutha said her station, which cost R23 million to build, had employed 74 police officers who would serve 17 villages.
The province still has one of the lowest crime rates in the country, however, murder, attempted murder and sexual crimes have increase in the province since last year.
