When it comes to fighting crime, whether it be on the frontline as a first responder or in a strategic leadership role, Lentegeur police station commander Colonel Umavathie Rameshwarnath has seen it all.
Colonel Ramesh, as she prefers to be called, has been in the top seat at Lentegeur police station for just over a year.
While she has immersed herself in the community, engaging with residents and stakeholders at various walkabouts, events and activities, there are concerns that keep her awake at night.
“My concern is that the community is not getting the satisfaction of a proper service due to (a lack of) information flow. We have a lot of gang activities; my members are extremely busy. If anything happens, the public is very reluctant to give us information.
“I have the manpower, vehicles and resources to provide safety for them, but the information is not coming in from the community as we would like it to. When the information comes in, you can activate resources and focus on the areas where they are needed most,” she says.
The only female police chief in Mitchell’s Plain, Colonel Ramesh knows what it is to feel vulnerable and unsafe at times.
“As a woman in the police, I have never felt unsafe. I am very sure of myself. I know myself and my capabilities better than anyone.
“Have I ever felt unsafe as an ordinary woman outside the police? I did, and I do. I live in Lotus River and not too far from me I often hear gunshots. I share the concerns of the community in terms of being unsafe and vulnerable, and feeling like you cannot protect yourself.”
Since moving to Cape Town, Colonel Ramesh has, among others, occupied station commander positions at Khayelitsha and Harare police stations. While she has lived in Lotus River for the past 13 years, she is passionate about fighting and preventing crimes in the Lentegeur precinct.
“I may not live in Lentegeur, but Lentegeur is my passion. When I go out and engage with the public, their concern is my concern, this is my community.
“The challenge is trying to convince the community there are still great cops out there. I want them to see my passion for the community and work hand-in-hand with me to fight crime. We are here to assist in any way, but they need to come forward and approach me around what we can do better. I am open to suggestions,” she says.
August is Women’s Month in South Africa, which usually sees an increase in programmes, events, and dialogues on gender-based violence (GBV).
Colonel Ramesh says while it is sometimes inferred that GBV refers more to female victims than men, much needs to be done to break stigmas and misconceptions in communities.
“Gender refers to male and female from all race groups. The challenge we have is trying to break the stigma that men don’t cry. We have seen lots of incidents where men come forward as victims of GBV.
“I think men are more worried about what society will think and the stigma that you’re less of a man if you do come forward. We are trying to change that through our social crime prevention events, interacting with the community, and going to schools, imbizos and sub-sector forums. The more we go out and speak about GBV, we’re hoping to change that perception and get more cases reported.
“If we don’t explain what it is and who it affects, it is just going to be swept under the carpet. I don’t think it should because it is increasingly done against men too,” she says.
Colonel Ramesh has been in the police service for nearly 33 years. She started her policing career in Durban and spent most of her life combating crime in Johannesburg, where she has responded to many gruesome crimes, which she remembers to this day.
“You are trained as police officials to be this hard person who shows no emotions. I remember being a first responder at an incident (in Johannesburg) where a father killed his kids. I was a captain by then.
“Being a mum, I broke down. My emotions as a mom came out. You’re not supposed to cry at crime scenes, but I looked at it that it could have been my kids. What would I do as a parent? That always stayed with me. I don’t think that I have the emotions to go to any scene where there are kids involved, male or female, that doesn’t affect you as a parent.”
Being a station commander with police members, communities and stakeholders always looking to you for answers can be emotionally taxing, and juggling work and family life can be a tough balancing act.
So how does Colonel Ramesh do it? “When I am not on duty, I spend time with my children and partner, who is also a police officer. I am passionate about my four kids. They are all adults now.
“My partner is my support structure. I make time for date nights. You must have a go-to-place being in this rank and position. It gets lonely as you can’t destress or talk to anyone about your challenges. You must have inner strength and self-motivation. This is the one thing I preach to my members, kids, and partner.”
Colonel Ramesh offers some parting advice to women of all ages. “To the younger generation, don’t give up on your dreams. Stay true to yourself and your passion. To our seniors, we need you to share your old-school values. If we look at society and our younger generation, they have derailed into drugs, alcohol, gang violence. We need the wisdom and knowledge of our seniors.
“As women, old, young, or in between, we have a voice and must speak out. If we don’t, we are going to be lost as society.”
