- Provincial minister Anroux Marais handed over a portable ramp to Brackenfell Police Station.
- This initiative addresses the long-standing need for better accessibility for disabled victims of crime.
- The department aims to install similar ramps at other police stations across the province.
Provincial minister for police oversight and community safety Anroux Marais on Monday visited Brackenfell Police Station to hand over a portable ramp for the entrance to the victim friendly room at the station.
For the first time, this facility that provides a safe space for victims of crime to be debriefed and counselled will be accessible to people in wheelchairs.
The aid had been on the station’s wish list for several years, says Norman Landry, chair of the Brackenfell Community Policing Forum (CPF).
READ | The latest print edition of TygerBurger here
“The access for the disabled community to service delivery by Brackenfell police was under discussion for a while and thanks to the efforts and generosity of the department, it now became a reality.”
Accessibility
People in wheelchairs formerly had to be attended to by volunteer counsellors elsewhere on the grounds. Marais said it was of utmost importance for this facility to be made accessible to the disabled.
“As a department we see where we can assist the police, but can’t always get to everything,” she said on the occasion.
Station commander Col Johannes Marthinus thanked Marais saying that the victim room is a safe space where the many traumatised victims of domestic violence – a crime prevalent in Brackenfell – can be empowered.
Advocate Anthea Michaels of the department said they had identified 16 police stations province wide where portable ramps were needed.
“With its challenges in terms of domestic violence and gender crime, the station was identified for the aid, when the request was made,” she said.
The Victim Charter as enshrined in the country’s constitution defines a victim of crime as a person that had physical, emotional or mental harm done to them. The charter provides for the right of victims of crime to emotional support provided in a safe and dignified manner.
