- Starting off his career at Athlone in 1989, Col Junaid Alcock has officially started his tenure as station commander this month.
- Returning at the helm of the Athlone Police Station was a manifestation he did not know would come true.
- Here he held several positions, with a promotion to Warrant Officer in 1994 and Captain in 2000.
Returning at the helm of the Athlone Police Station was a manifestation he did not know would come true.
Starting off his career at Athlone, Col Junaid Alcock has officially started his tenure as station commander this month.
“I started my career in 1989, went to the college in 1990 and became a constable. By 1991, I became a full sergeant, reporting to Athlone Police Station in 1992,” he says.
Here he held several positions, with a promotion to Warrant Officer in 1994 and Captain in 2000.
“I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2013 to Lingelethu West as Vispol Commander and later acting station commander,” he says.
In 2016, he reported to the Provincial Police Command Centre’s monitoring and evaluation team.
His promotion to Colonel in 2022 as station commander of Harare Police Station and later Table View Police Station, paved the way for his full circle back to Athlone as station commander from Monday 13 November.
“The journey back was more a proclamation many years back. Back then, I said to the staff: ‘I’d like just one shot as the station commander here’, and today, here I sit,” he says. “There is a lot in this place. I am at the right place at the right time.”
While the challenges and access to resources are different between his last few stations, he has already started his engagements and cleaning up of the station, to bolster and reinvigorate the commitments of the officers.
Homelessness around the station was his first act on duty. With homeless people sleeping and storing their goods around the parking lot and grounds, they have since been asked to move on in order to open up the station for community use.
“The walkways were clustered and people could not use it. Now this is open. Cleaning up the outside has also impacted the inside. The homeless stacking their goods around the police station made the station look very ugly. I am a firm believer that if the front of your house is dirty, that is the same service that will be inside,” he says.
There has also already been a shift in the mindsets of the officers, reminded of the Police’s principals of discipline through communication.
“Service delivery was one of the key things brought up (in the public engagements I have had). The way we speak to people, that there is always a hurry to get things done. Time delays in attending to certain complaints is another.
“I did not make any promises to the community, but I say we will commit ourselves to these changes.”
The incident at the court with the escape of five detainees had a negative impact on the morale of the staff stationed at the magistrate’s court and this is being addressed by Alcock.
With his knowledge and passion for policing, backed by his years of experience, he brings to the station a sense of stability through principles.
“In the past we were more reactive, we want to ne proactive. Before it happens, we want to be in that space.
“This is called crime displacement, criminals moving out of their comfort zone,” he says.
Establishing partnerships will be key moving forward.
“We cannot work in Silos. Police are not an entity on its own. We need community based organisations like neighbourhood watches, City security services like metro police, law enforcement and traffic. These are all components that help us make this place safer,” he says.
“We won’t bring all the crime down, but if we at least work continuously and persistent, you will see the difference. Absence of crime is also a big success because efforts are paying off.”
To the community, Alcock appeals for trust.
“Trust us. There is a belief out there that we can’t be trusted. This will only come as the job continues. I accept there is no trust, but I want to change this perception. I cannot change it alone.
“The community also has to accept their part by being open to changing their mindset,” he says.
With an open door policy, Alcock encourages residents to come forward with concerns if the police are doing something wrong, rather than waiting for an opportunity to address matters only at public meetings.
