PARKTOWN – The Provincial Commissioner of the Police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, is satisfied with the operational plans that have been put in place for the New Year’s Cross Over celebrations at identified hot spots in the province.
The multi-disciplinary operational plans will be implemented simultaneously in the province’s five districts, starting with the detectives’ suspects raiding operations across the province. This would be the first phase of implementation which will be followed by the second phase, high density operations in the morning of 31 December 2022 as the build up to the third phase of overnight cross over operations.
Thus far suspects raiding operations conducted during this week have resulted in the arrest of 926 wanted perpetrators for serious crimes, 178 undocumented persons, 17 for drug related offences, 137 for domestic violence related offences and 21 for rape.
The second phase of the high density operation will comprise of activities that will include compliance inspections at liquor outlets, saturation of crime hot spot areas, stop and searches as well as roadblocks at identified strategic roads to prevent road carnage, drinking and driving, proliferation of illegal firearms, and to search for contraband and drugs.
The cross over operations on the other hand will comprise of all law enforcement agencies as well as various stakeholders. Target areas will include among others, hot spot areas like Berea, Hillbrow, Johannesburg Central, Yeoville, Soweto, Kagiso, Krugersdorp, Bekkersdal, Tembisa, Ivory Park, De Deur, Orange Farms, Evaton, Sunnyside, Pretoria Central, Temba, Stinkwater, Suurman, Soshanguve and Rietgat.
The Provincial Commissioner has reiterated Gauteng’s zero tolerance to public drinking. He has also appealed to the public to exercise responsible alcohol consumption during celebrations and to refrain from beating one another while drunk or through confrontations/misunderstandings/conflicts.
“Our contact crimes like murder, attempted murder, assault GBH and common assault as well as sexual offences increase during this period. As the police, we will be on the ground in our numbers to prevent these crimes. We will further have increased visibility to deter criminals targeting taxis and e-hailing vehicles from committing hijackings for transport purposes,” said Lt Gen Mawela who went on to appeal to residents whose neighbours are away to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour in their surroundings.
The police will further be conducting blue light patrols within our communities to monitor vacant premises while also ensuring compliance at liquor outlets.
Safety tips:
Don’t drink and drive
Avoid unnecessary conflicts and arguments
Use a safe mode of transport
Use alcohol in a responsible manner
Report any suspicious behaviour and conduct to the police
The police would like to warn firearm owners against discharging their firearms in build-up and congested areas while celebrating the cross over the New Year as the repercussions would be dire for those in close proximity. Discharging a firearm in a public place remains a criminal offence.
All law abiding citizens are encouraged to report active criminal activity in their surroundings to the SAPS emergency number 10111.
The public may also send crime tip-offs via MySAPS Application or contact the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 10111.
Source: South African Police Service