Safer festive season: Police target hot-spot areas, ‘stubborn crimes’
THE NORTHERN Cape MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Nomandla Bloem, said that hot-spot areas would be targeted by the police during weekends and public holidays during the festive season.
Speaking at the launch of the provincial safer festive season campaign on Friday, Bloem stated that there would be increased police visibility to focus on eradicating “stubborn crimes”.
“To promote reach and impact, support personnel from the Province will assist district and station operational members during high-density operations on Fridays,” said Bloem.
She added that focus areas included gender-based violence and femicide, carjacking, robberies, enhancing border security, enforcement in the use of firearms, liquor, second-hand goods and safety of sports and recreational events.
“By-laws targeting hijacked buildings, the unlawful sale and use of firecrackers, road safety including drunken driving, speeding and roadworthy vehicles will be enforced.
“A project to specifically focus on cloned vehicles and cloned licence plates and vehicles without licence plans will be included.”
Bloem stated that with an expected influx of holiday makers to the Province over the festive season, where criminal activity such as economic, contact and alcohol-related crimes, public drinking and illegal spinning and drifting were expected to increase.
She added that the release of parolees would be communicated with the Department of Correctional Services.
The provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, handed over the SAPS ‘state of readiness’ to Bloem and reiterated that it would be “all boots on the ground and proactive law enforcement”.
