Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Commissioner General Khehla Sitole will on Thursday return to Westbury to officially parade the newly permanently deployed Tactical Response Team (TRT) in the violence plagued area.
The team will be dedicated to the Westbury policing precinct as part of the broader strategy to fight the scourge of drugs and gang-related violence in the area, the police ministry said on Wednesday.
“The visit is pursuant to the commitment made on Tuesday in which the Minister had a community engagement with members of the community of Westbury following incidents of gang-related violence and subsequent community unrests,” said police ministry spokesperson Reneilwe Serero.
The intervention was among several revealed by Cele on Tuesday when he engaged with residents in the wake of violent clashes.
Another intervention saw Cele task Sitole with investigating alleged corruption and misconduct at the Sophiatown police station, which services Westbury. This was after the community alleged that police were involved in corrupt activities and were in cahoots with gangs. The results of the probe would be released in a week.
Another follow-up meeting with the community and various other government departments was expected to be held in the area next week. – SAnews.gov.za
