Police Ministry encouraged by Western Cape zero tolerance approach to criminality and illegality this Festive Season – SAPS Crime Report: 2021-12-20 20:57:25

from the Office of the Minister of Police

WESTERN CAPE – The South African Police Service in the Western Cape has adopted a no-nonsense approach to criminality and illegal activity, as the province welcomes thousands of visitors for the festive season.

The continuation of the Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour hosted in Cape Town, saw Police Minister General Bheki Cele and his deputy, Cassel Mathale, alongside National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Khehla Sitole, and his management team, join some of the police operations in and around the Mother City.

The SAPS in the province is bringing police services, closer to communities by shifting resources, to where they are most needed, as part of its crime combating strategy during this holiday season.

Over and above closely policing identified hotspot areas, the province is embarking on the destruction of illegal liquor, which – according to the latest crime statistics released by the SAPS; is one of the drivers of violent crime such as murder, rape, assault in the province and the country. As part of the Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour the Police Minister and the SAPS top brass took part in the flushing down of over 20 thousand litres of alcohol that was seized by the SAPS, during various Safer Festive Season operations that commenced in October 2021.

The Police Minister has called on SAPS members not to hesitate to shut down illegally run liquor outlets.

“It is not that we are obsessed with alcohol as many would like to think, we are aware that liquor is a social lubricant, unfortunately crime statistics show that it is also a contributor of crime, it is in and around liquor outlets where attacks on women are likely to occur and where people are likely to get into arguments, stab or shoot each other. The liquor that we are destroying today is seized mainly from illegal traders located in policing precincts that have high cases of assault, rape and murder and is an indictment on the dire effects of illegal sale of liquor.”

Minister Cele has also commended the Western Cape Province for improving its crime picture. Although the volumes are still high, the province has recorded some decrease in its murder and contact crime figures.

“The combination of resources, energy and human capital between the Western Cape government and the SAPS is starting to bear fruit, I want to strongly urge that this partnership continues and grows by leaps and bounds. The rearranging of policing resources within the province, to where they are most needed, especially moving more officers and vehicles to poorer areas of Cape Town will certainly send a firm warning shot to criminals that, everywhere you go,  police won’t hesitate to make life extremely difficult for you.”

As part of the SAPS strategy to deal decisively with threats associated with the holiday season and beyond, the Police Ministry has welcomed the handing over of a mobile police station to the community of Makhaza township of Cape Town.

Over and above the mobile station, 50 SAPS personnel have been brought in to work in the policing precinct, alongside 10 more police vehicles to police the township and surrounds.

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