Pretoria - National commissioner of police, General Fannie Masemola says the SAPS safer festive season operations, which are already in full swing, are characterized by heightened crime awareness campaigns, foot, vehicle and air-support patrols, stop and searches, arrests, vehicle checkpoints and roadblocks.
Speaking to journalists in Pretoria, Masemola said “maximum resources” had already been deployed to assert the authority of the State to regain public confidence, and ensure that people across South Africa are and feel safe and secure.
The police’s priority six focus areas this festive season include intensifying campaigns and police actions towards addressing gender-based violence and femicide; intensifying efforts to combat aggravated robberies such as cash-in-transit (CIT) heists, ATM bombings, carjacking, robberies at residential and business premises; enhancing border security.
The fourth focus area looks into the enforcement of legislation to “decisively” address the proliferation of illegal firearms, second hand goods, liquor enforcement as well as the enforcement of the Sasrea Act to secure safety at sporting and other events.
The fifth area focuses on the enforcement of by-laws targeting hijacked buildings, destruction of essential infrastructure, extortion as well as unlawful sale and use of fire crackers.
“The sixth focus area looks into road safety where we are jointly conducting roadblocks and vehicle checkpoints together with the metro police departments as well as provincial and national traffic police,” said Masemola.
“We have been hard at work in consistently developing and reviewing interventions in response to the analysis of crime patterns and emerging crime trends in the country.”
The police chief said it was encouraging to report that since he took over the reins at Saps, police had arrested 249 607 suspects for various crimes, from 1 April to 30 September 2022.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to assure everyone in the country of our commitment to ensuring that we clamp down on all forms of criminality,” said Masemola.
“I want to assure South Africans of our readiness to combat crime as we demonstrate our ability to prevent, combat and investigate crime, secure and protect the inhabitants of this country and uphold and enforce the law during this busy festive season and beyond.”
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