Mdantsane cluster commander Major General William Mbaliso, who retires this month after a police career spanning almost 40 years, is worried about the state of the service.
Born in Esikhobeni Location, Mthatha, the 60-year-old officer joined the police in 1976 and worked his way to the top.
He was the deputy provincial police commissioner in the Northern Cape before he was deployed to the Eastern Cape as Mdantsane cluster commander in 2008.
The tough-talking general is not looking forward to his retirement since policing is the only thing he has known for most of his life.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch from his office in NU1 yesterday, Mbaliso, a father of four, said he was “about to venture into the unknown” with his retirement.
Last week two detectives under his command were arrested on charges of corruption by the Hawks and accused of soliciting a bribe from a suspect wanted in connection with domestic violence and drunken driving.
Mbaliso said: “There are three types of police officers in this country. There are those who are just waiting for their lucky break to find a job and leave the SAPS; there are those who joined the service because their friends joined the service; and there are those like me who joined because they answered a calling to serve the nation. Now the two types of police that I have mentioned are weighing down the third type.”
Mbaliso said crime was a lot worse than when he first joined the police and officers had lost “respect” in the community.
“Before the new political dispensation people used to fear the police because they saw police as the government and police behaved as such.
“The difference is the police of today are not behaving in that particular old order. They see themselves as part of the community and as being governed by the same laws applicable to the community, and as a result people do not respect them.”
He said for crime to gradually decline government needed to “spiritually and mentally” remove police from society and make them law enforcement officials of the state.
“Look, if you want to build a better priest you make him or her a servant of God next to Jesus.
“Take him out of the community; he must go back to the community only for preaching purposes. So if you want to enforce the law, make people see police as government.”
Responding to a query about members of the public complaining about a lack of visible policing and slow response times, Mbaliso said: “There are many contributing factors for that.
“Sometimes it is our vehicles that are being fixed in the garage, other times is a communication breakdown between the complainant and the officer.”
For now though, Mbaliso said he would use his retirement to relax before getting involved in community projects. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Senior cop worries about SAPS
Born in Esikhobeni Location, Mthatha, the 60-year-old officer joined the police in 1976 and worked his way to the top.
He was the deputy provincial police commissioner in the Northern Cape before he was deployed to the Eastern Cape as Mdantsane cluster commander in 2008.
The tough-talking general is not looking forward to his retirement since policing is the only thing he has known for most of his life.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch from his office in NU1 yesterday, Mbaliso, a father of four, said he was “about to venture into the unknown” with his retirement.
Last week two detectives under his command were arrested on charges of corruption by the Hawks and accused of soliciting a bribe from a suspect wanted in connection with domestic violence and drunken driving.
Mbaliso said: “There are three types of police officers in this country. There are those who are just waiting for their lucky break to find a job and leave the SAPS; there are those who joined the service because their friends joined the service; and there are those like me who joined because they answered a calling to serve the nation. Now the two types of police that I have mentioned are weighing down the third type.”
Mbaliso said crime was a lot worse than when he first joined the police and officers had lost “respect” in the community.
“Before the new political dispensation people used to fear the police because they saw police as the government and police behaved as such.
“The difference is the police of today are not behaving in that particular old order. They see themselves as part of the community and as being governed by the same laws applicable to the community, and as a result people do not respect them.”
He said for crime to gradually decline government needed to “spiritually and mentally” remove police from society and make them law enforcement officials of the state.
“Look, if you want to build a better priest you make him or her a servant of God next to Jesus.
“Take him out of the community; he must go back to the community only for preaching purposes. So if you want to enforce the law, make people see police as government.”
Responding to a query about members of the public complaining about a lack of visible policing and slow response times, Mbaliso said: “There are many contributing factors for that.
“Sometimes it is our vehicles that are being fixed in the garage, other times is a communication breakdown between the complainant and the officer.”
For now though, Mbaliso said he would use his retirement to relax before getting involved in community projects. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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