A satellite police station has been earmarked and was being prioritised for Masiphumelele, Deputy Police Minister Maggie Sotyu said at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Community policing forum members and concerned residents from Masiphumelele, Ocean View, Hangberg, Hout Bay and Imizamo Yethu gathered at the Iziko Lobomi Community Hall in Mandela Park to share their views on policing with Sotyu and provincial police commissioner Major-General Thembisile Patekile.

According to one fed-up Masiphumelele resident, police often failed to respond to complaints.

“Yes, they are useless,” another local shouted.

Another resident told News24 the precinct was “just too big”, insisting police had their hands full in dealing with complaints from Ocean View, Masiphumelele and Kommetjie.

Sotyu said it was hoped that the establishment of the satellite office would relieve some of the pressure on the station’s resources, as it currently serviced more than 40 000 people in the precinct.

However, Patekile said there was no justification for not responding to a criminal complaint.

“This is a serious violation of [the officer’s] contract. You, the community, are our employer,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sotyu said she would be meeting with Hout Bay police station management to discuss the issues pointed out by locals.

Among the concerns was a lack of manpower for visible patrols.

“We need more police officers to be deployed in this area,” Sotyu said. News24