Local police ready for the festive season

Local police kick-started a plan of action for the festive season last Friday, December 6.

According to Major General Oupa Maseko, the reservists were called into action to help the permanent force cope with the influx experienced during the festive period.

The main focus of the operation is the safety of citizens within the clusters of Madadeni, oSizweni and Newcastle.

“We will be engaged in various forms of operations, which will include patrols in the area of Madadeni, because it is weekend,” said General Maseko. “We are also targeting illegal liquor outlets and of course the driving habits, the drunken drivers and so on,” he continued.

“We will also be focusing on the legal liquor outlets to check on their compliance as well as the dangerous weapons that people are carrying,” he said.

According to General Maseko, legal license holders for dangerous weapons are also at fault, as they become very relaxed in the handling and access of these weapons during parties.

He continued to say that there would be focus on malls and the hot-spots in the area, especially Section 7 in Madadeni, to ensure the safety of Christmas shoppers.

Local SAPS has seen a large rise in recent arrests and convictions. General Maseko attributes the success to a change in strategy by the localised police forces.

“As far back as July, we revisited the strategies for the police stations within the cluster. Now, we are working 24 hours, as opposed to only focusing on certain days,” he said. “Crimes were falling through the cracks. Now the operation as a whole might be on a smaller scale, but there is a 24 hour police presence and patrol,” he continued.

The reservist force has been called, and on a rotating schedule they will be helping the different stations in the areas.

“I have also brought some officers from my office, and they will also be assisting,” said General Maseko. “We are always mindful of Newcastle on the month end, because of the large influx that we see. In the evenings, we are more in the townships, where the people come back to sleep.”

General Maseko hinted during the interview that a new plan had to be formed to combat the behavioral tendencies of people inside their homes. He stated that the traditional police as we know it, try to exert as much control over the streets, where they can in a way control the crime, but have very little control over what happens inside the homes within the community.

“In the homes, we have have no control. Unless we receive a complaint about domestic violence or people fighting at functions and family get togethers and so on, we have no control, and people become injured,” he said. “We need to reach out to the people, to put a stop to violence within the home,” he concluded.

The festive season will see a large police force on constant patrol. Residents are urged to make responsible choices.

“There will be no leniency. People that are caught breaking the law will be held accountable to the fullest. We will not overlook any small thing,” concluded General Maseko.