North West: North West MEC for the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari, has sent a stern warning to those who will find themselves on the wrong side of the law during the festive season.
Lehari said this during the official activation of the Provincial Safer Festive Season Operations at the South African Police Service Headquarters in Potchefstroom.
He said the operations are intended to ensure the safety of all citizens, including those who will be coming for festive holidays in the Province.
“We are not going to tolerate any deviance, wrongdoing, contravention of any statute. Any wrong move will meet the full might of the law.
Those using our Province as a transit will find the presence of law enforcement on all arterial routes,” said Lehari, stating that operations during the season will focus and not be limited to combating aggravated robberies, vehicle hijackings, comparing drugs and human trafficking, enforcement of legislation in respect of firearms, liquor and further combating drunken driving, speeding and all moving violations.
The MEC also encourages communities to report crime as and when it happens. “It is only by working together that we can defeat crime,” said Lehari.
In his address, the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, assured communities that the police are ready to show criminals that they do not have a place to hide in the North West.
“The citizens must feel relaxed and at ease because men and women in blue will be on the streets and all corners, watching over them. “We are going to combat crime through decisive police action and robust community involvement,” Kwena affirmed citizens.
Speaking on behalf of the Provincial Community Policing Forum (CPF), Mbulelo Makhaza committed to work with police and all law enforcement agencies in the Province.
He said, they will ensure mobilisation of communities to fight crime across. He added that as learners are about to start their final examinations, CPF structures will ensure that schools are protected and learners complete examinations without any disturbances.
“We will mobilise our communities to be the eyes of the police and inform or report any criminal activity because police cannot be everywhere,” said Makhaza, who assured that they will fully participate in all crime prevention activities during the festive season.
Both codes of conduct for the police and traffic were read during the activation, where they committed men and women in blue and beige to uphold their duties without any fear or favour.
This year’s Safer Festive Season Operations is activated under the theme: “Combating Crime through Decisive Police Action And Robust Community Involvement.”
The Provincial activation follows the national launch by Police Minister General Bheki Cele last week in Cape Town.
These operations will be conducted until the end of January 2024.