Lieutenant Colonel Shenlatha Raghoonunden has been appointed station commander at Bayview SAPS, the first woman to do so in the station’s history.
Her elevation to this key leadership position marks a significant achievement for gender representation within the police force.
“It feels absolutely amazing. I am so humbled and privileged to be given this opportunity. It is really wonderful to come back home to the place where it all started 31 years ago,” said Raghoonunden.
Raghoonunden, 50, started her journey in 1993 when she joined the SAPS as an admin clerk.
“It was very exciting and interesting; being behind the scenes and being a part of such a dynamic team of police officers. Whenever my work was complete, I would find myself being drawn to the community service centre to assist the public. It was my passion and satisfaction to see people being assisted that made me want to join the force,” she said.
Due to a moratorium on recruitment back then Raghoonunden could not join the police service and had to wait for five years doing administration before she was finally accepted into the Police College in Pretoria.
She moved to Pretoria in 1998 and while undergoing training her father had died.
“When I came for my father’s funeral in Durban, I promised my mother that I would not return but stay back and take care of her. She refused, saying that a week earlier my dad had told her that someday I was going to make her proud. This inspired me to go back as there was no way that I was going to let them down,” said Raghoonunden.
As fate would have it, she returned to Bayview SAPS after her training and has since been stationed there.
“The six month police training programme is not for the faint hearted. You need to be emotionally and physically strong. You need to be in the correct mind frame and understand why you are there. Nothing is difficult when you are on a mission to achieve a goal,” said Raghoonunden.
Her experience on the field as been the same as her male counterparts.
“There is no differentiation between male or female. Everyone in the SAPS is treated the same. The training is the same. The job description is the same. Women do not get preferential treatment,” she said.
Raghoonunden hopes to make a difference in the community and restore trust in the police.
“I want the people of Bayview Policing Area to think of me as a mother, sister and daughter. I want them to feel safe and confident, and I want them to know that my door will always be open to hear them out. I will do everything in my power to ensure that Bayview Policing Area is a safer, crime free area, where everyone can live free of fear and anxiety about crime. I hope to grow from strength to strength, to win back the faith of the community and to uphold the police code of conduct,” said Raghoonunden.
