Durban - CRIME-fighting strategies that paid dividends over the festive season would be continued during the year, with police in KwaZulu-Natal pledging to be constantly vigilant.
At a press briefing at the provincial police headquarters in Bram Fischer (Ordnance) Road yesterday, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, praised communities and police officers for their determination to win the fight against crime.
She said although the festive season was over, “some of our strategies will be maintained”.
“Extra members have been deployed to the flying squad. More visible policing and detective members have also been brought in to speed up investigations and move towards speedy prosecutions.
“We will not be letting down our guard,” she said, adding that police would crack down on hijackings and house and business robberies.
Since the start of the festive season and the crime prevention operation, When Duty Calls, launched in October last year, more than 15 000 criminals had been arrested.
Ngobeni said criminals had been arrested for crimes such as murder, rape, shoplifting, child abuse and kidnapping.
More than R10.7 million in drugs were recovered, more than 5 000 litres of alcohol was seized and sting operations were conducted at chop shops and second-hand dealers.
More than 712 illegal firearms were confiscated and 786 stolen vehicles were recovered.
A significant number of arrests for assault were made.
The narcotics recovered included 27 000 straws of heroin, 800 mandrax tablets, 15kg of dagga, crystal meth, ecstacy tablets and cat.
Ngobeni said alcohol was a major contributor to committing of serious crimes during the festive period.
“As a result more than 2 000 illegal liquor outlets were closed,” she said.
Ngobeni said the feedback from communities across KZN had suggested that the policing had delivered the results during the festive period.
During the festive season, a focal point was on the policing of beaches from the North Coast to the South Coast.
“The greater Durban beaches was the centre of our policing plan. We also made it difficult for criminals to target shopping malls by deploying additional uniformed officers.”
Ngobeni said high-performance vehicles placed strategically throughout KZN were also a deterrent for hijackers and ATM bombers.
She called on communities to continue working with police to keep the province safe. - Daily News