Pretoria - The South African Police Service (SAPS) will be heightening their crime fighting efforts with the launch of Operation Paseka, a high visibility operation to safeguard road users and communities.
This safety campaign has a duel focus of clamping down on opportunistic crime and road safety during the Easter holiday.
“We will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that criminals have nowhere to hide. We have identified an increase in certain categories of crime and our men and women in blue will be out in full force to ensure that this Easter holiday is as safe and crime free as it can be,” said National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega.
The Easter weekend is a peak season when people go on road trips to annual religious pilgrimages across the country or to visit friends and relatives.
Traffic is at a maximum on all national routes and road fatalities peak during this time due to a range of factors including reckless and negligent driving, speeding, fatigue, unroadworthy vehicles and driving under the influence of alcohol and other intoxicants.
Operation Paseka is aimed at reducing serious and violent crimes such as house robberies, vehicle hijackings, business robberies, theft of or out of motor vehicles and stock theft.
As part of the operation, SAPS will mount road blocks on all major routes, conducting stop-and-search exercises, patrolling the roads and conducting surprise visits at second hand goods dealers in search of stolen property.
Other criminal activities that will receive attention will be the possession of illegal firearms and alcohol and drug-related crimes.
Phiyega has appealed to members of the public and organised business to work with law enforcement agencies by sharing intelligence and information that can assist the police to combat crime.
Motorists are urged to observe the rules of the road and to exercise patience and courtesy to fellow road users.
“Our success is largely dependent on the close cooperation we have with members of the public. Reporting crime is a civic duty that each South African must take seriously.
“We are grateful for the support we have received thus far and we urge members of the public to continue to be our eyes and ears so that we can rid our society of the cancer of crime,” Phiyega said. – SAnews.gov.za
