A day with the ‘big guns’
DETERMINED to fight crime at all costs and get Vryheid back to a safer community, the local SAPS have been holding parades.
On Friday last week, I was lucky enough to be part of one of these.
Geared up, (or rather myself buckling under the weight of a bulletproof vest), we set off to different areas in town in search of criminal offences great and small.
Sorted into two teams, the men and women in blue (myself included) went out to rake out all illegal substances, illegal firearms, gamblers and other offenders in town.
There was a great sense of determination and team spirit as the police worked tirelessly catching, arresting and fining criminals.
The first stop was at a gambling site in Utrecht Street. Instructed to approach from both entrances so as to catch the gamblers in the act, the scene can only be described as a ‘cat and mouse’ scramble as the police chased and caught the fleeing gamblers.
Having always expected that being a policewoman would entitle me to only walking around in a brilliant uniform, looking prestigious and important, the running around in a heavy and not very comfortable vest made me glad I was not quitting my day-job.
With crime on the rise in town, it is very easy to start believing in some of those that say that “the police are not doing their job”, but being out on the field helped me realise what a difficult task our police have on their hands and moreover, just how hard they are working to seek out crime in every nook and cranny of Vryheid to ensure a safer environment for residents.
Colonel Luvuno is doing his best to formulate our local men and women in blue into a team that prides themselves in what they do and that was one of the things I noted on Friday.
The successes for the day included two arrests for the possession of dagga, 54 arrests for drinking in public, 23 dagga plants were confiscated and 30 000ml of beer that was illegally sold were confiscated.
According to Colonel Westermeyer of the SAPS, these surprise parades will help to lower the crime rate in Vryheid as they leave the criminals shaken up and they never know what to expect next.
Whether I chased and arrested a criminal myself I’ll leave to you to decide. This is sergeant-reporter Sinethemba Thwala over and out.
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Another article you might want to read:A Warning from the SAPS
