POLICE united in an operation to clean up Kempton Park CBD ahead of the festive season.
Tembisa Cluster SAPS’ Maj Gen Vincent Leshabane led a force of police authorities, including numerous SAPS specialised units and EMPD officers on Thursday.
Kempton Park SAPS spokesperson Capt Jethro Mtshali said this was just the beginning of an operation that would last well into the festive season.
“We have already identified hot spots such as the corner of Pretoria Road and Central Avenue, West Street and the malls, especially Festival Mall.
“Many people fall victim to contact and property crime in these areas and we want to ensure police visibility and take action. This operation will mainly focus on the notorious CBD but will spread to other areas. We really cannot continue to have situations whereby women’s handbags and cellphones are snatched by criminals while motorists lose their valuables to criminals who carry car-jamming devices at malls.”
Leshabane said the police confiscated drugs in the CBD on Thursday and he was confident there would be more arrests.
Second-hand goods dealers and scrapyards will also be paid a visit because plenty of those dealers accept stolen goods, he added.
The police raided numerous stores in and around the CBD. They were led by specialised units tasked with verifying the authenticity of trading licences.
“We want people of Kempton Park to feel safe and not be afraid to walk or drive anywhere in their city because of criminals. We encourage all of them to provide us with information to help combat the scourge that is crime,” said Leshabane.
Cluster deputy-general Brig Frank Mthombeni and Kempton Park SAPS head of visible policing, Col Steven Moodley, added that the intelligence operation had already identified culprits who accepted stolen goods.
“Law-abiding citizens are the majority everywhere but criminals command the streets. This cannot be right,” said Mthombeni.
