Rural communities across the country, particularly in the Eastern Cape, have bemoaned the lack of adequate police stations to service them.

This comes as only one police station serves more than 40 villages in Punzana in the Eastern Cape.

Residents in Tylden, a village in the Chris Hani District Municipality on the other hand, rely on members of the Community Policing Forum to aid them with challenges they face.

But the police say some of the problems they face in rural areas include navigating complex terrain to access various villages as well as the long distances they have to travel, adding this in turn impacts on their response times.

Department of Community Safety liaison officer Sandiso Mlete says communities had to join forces with authorities to fight crime.

“Active involvement of community members is one of the things that would help in eradicating crime. Communities know what happens because they are there all the time, not the police. But our community members at times tend to turn a blind eye when things go wrong,” he says.

Mlete indicates that communities have to also show active citizenry by reporting drug dealers and unlicensed liquor traders.

“If not reported, the police won’t know. If they can be involved and come forward whenever they witness these [criminal activities] then crime can be defeated,” he said.