Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Newcastillian News spoke with Newcastle Police Station’s new Station Commander, Brigadier Mvuleni Sangweni in order to familiarise locals with the new leadership.
Reflecting on his career at the South African Police Service (SAPS), Brigadier Sangweni explained that he has been with the SAPS for 35 years and counting.
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“I joined the police because I wanted to serve the people of the country. This saw me joining as a student in Vryheid, before heading to the college. After finishing there, I came to Newcastle Police Station in 1988.”
Brigadier Mvuleni Sangweni
Moving his way up the ranks, Brigadier Sangweni highlighted that he moved to Utrecht in 2005, to become the town’s Station Commander. “From there, I went to Osizweni as the Station Commander in 2016, before going to Inanda in 2020, as the Station Commander.”
He then officially took the post of Station Commander at Newcastle Police Station on 2 August 2022, after Brigadier Leon Matthysen was re-deployed.
Now taking on the responsibility of the local police station the Brigadier stressed that he was determined to improve the station’s service delivery.
“Obviously, the frontline service which involves the Service Complaints Centre will have to be addressed. From there, visible policing will be looked at, as police should be seen in town. Also, I will be looking at improving the services provided by detectives,” he affirmed.
Looking at improving the overall performance of the Newcastle Police Station, Brigadier Sangweni stressed that he was up to the challenge of seeing local law enforcement regain the community’s trust.
Moreover, when looking at crime in Newcastle, he further noted that there are a lot of foreign nationals living within the town’s boundaries—many of which are here illegally. Therefore, he declared that the police would be placing a heavy focus on addressing the number of illegal foreign nationals in Newcastle.
Concluding and sharing some personal information, the Brigadier explained that he has been married for over 30 years, and has five children. As a devout family man, he said, “Having a family definitely makes me a better police officer. Your family helps you understand the dynamics of a community and how to deal with the issues that affect them.”
Additionally, the new police head stated that he wanted to ensure the town was safe for families to flourish and therefore encouraged the community to work alongside the Newcastle SAPS. “Cooperation with the police is key, as nothing can be achieved by the police without the cooperation from the community.”
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Comments 1
Congratulations to Mr Sangweni as I know you for long time and wish you can help our home town Newcastle to be better one.. I know you when my father was in the police force in 1999.