Point police praise Captain Fantastic

By Barbara Cole

It was not too long ago that police officers at Durban's Point station did not bother to answer the telephones, a community leader said yesterday.

"It is no wonder that the community felt they did not

get any help," said Keith Thomas, chairman of the Front Line sub-forum, which is part of the Point Policing Forum.

But now all that has changed - and Thomas and his committee have only good things to say about the station.

They have even nominated Captain Rona Bleakley for the holiday Cop of the Day award for "changing the face of the Point charge office".

"We used to have a massive problem with the charge office, but now all that has changed. The captain really goes the extra mile, and she deserves this award. No matter how many arrests are made on the streets, at the end of the day, the back-up at the charge office

has to be good," said Thomas.

Overwhelmed at getting the award, Bleakley, who was recently named the station's Officer of the Year, said although some things still had to be improved, "we are getting there".

One improvement was that the station's trauma room was now being used more often.

Most victims of crime arrived in a shocked and traumatised state and were now ushered into the trauma room - instead of the general charge office - where they are dealt with in privacy and given a cup of tea.

The station's Senior Superintendent Leon Matthysen praised Bleakley's management skills, saying she had used the skills to motivate members without having to take drastic steps.

"She has a way of getting results. She is liked by the members and that is what makes her a good officer."

Thomas said the improvement at the Point police station had inspired so much confidence locally that one businessman was now going to buy another business, and a supermarket owner who had been planning to close early had decided to stay open 24 hours.