Hello Everybody, A big thank you to everyone for your good wishes for my mom, Monica, who is still in a coma after the mugging in Trill Road. She is gradually moving towards awakening in what seems will be a long and gruelling process. At this stage the doctors can't say to what extent she will recover.
Over the past week I've fallen into despair often, and one of the things that gets me going again is the amazing sense of community in Observatory that I've underestimated until now. I am beginning to think that we can, after all, win our village back against the drug bazaar in Lower Main Road which, I am convinced, had brought my mom's attacker to Observatory. It will require lots of community organisation, though, and in order for our efforts to have any lasting effect, we are going to have to get stuck in to lobby for change at our guardians, the Woodstock Police. This is a transcript of my interaction with the officer at the Woodstock Police charge office counter when I went to report the attack on my mother: *Me: My mother was attacked in her house last night and she's been taken up in hospital now and I want to open a case.* *Sergeant Nokwe: Where was she attacked?* *Me: In Observatory* *Sergeant Nokwe: In Observatory. What time?* *Me: At eleven last night.* *Sergeant Nokwe: Sorry?* *Me: At eleven o'clock. * *Sergeant Nokwe: At night* *Me: Ja* *Sergeant Nokwe: Did you phone the police?* *Me: Ja the police were there. They told us to go and see a doctor.* (At that stage, my mom seemed to have only superficial bruises. She lost conciousness later that night due to a slow subdural bleed) *Sergeant Nokwe: Where is she now?* *Me: Vincent Pallotti *(Hospital)*. She's in the operating theatre.* *Sergeant Nokwe: Because we...she must make a statement.* *Me: But I'M here to open a case. * *Sergeant Nokwe: But who was attacked?* *Me: My mother.* *Sergeant Nokwe: But you cannot open a case on behalf of your mother. It's either we send the police to the hospital...* *Me: *(To my wife who tries to interrupt at this point) *No, no hang on. * *Sergeant Nokwe: ...either we send the police to the hospital, or, if she's unconscious, unfortunately we have to wait until she is being able to give the statement. * *Me: I understand, sir. The reason why I'm here is that I am a member of the public requesting the police to open an urgent investigation into the attack on my mother, and I don't want that to wait until she is conscious. I want that investigation to start immediately. That's why I am here.* *Sergeant Nokwe: Then you'll have to speak to somebody else without me. Can you go to that office? *(waves his hand dismissively in the direction of a door leading out of the charge office)....(inaudible)*...because as far as I know I cannot open a case on behalf of someone else...*(inaudible) Of course I soon managed to open a case, because I knew that by law a police officer can and must open a case whenever a crime has been committed, even when there is no complainant. But how many people are the Woodstock police turning away every day with such utter drivel? The fact that he was no rookie constable, but a middle-aged sergeant, tells me that the deflection of cases at the Woodstock Police Station is happening on an industrial scale. I fear that this attitude towards the opening of cases extends to all other aspects of their work. By now my post, which started off as a thank you, has become a rant. Sorry. But actually I simply want to say that I am more convinced than ever that we have enough community spirit among us to change these things. Thank you for all your good wishes. Barrie -- OPS [Obsid Public Safety] - 24/7 control room ---------------------------------------------- 021-447-1066 072-063-1653 For all emergencies please dial 10111 ---------------------------------------------- ONW: 082 081 0142, ONW email: [email protected] WEB: www.obswatch.org.za ---------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups The Observatory Neighbourhood watch group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/obsnw?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Observatory Neighbourhood watch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
