Police out in force
AS THOUSANDS of holidaymakers arrive in Durban, metro police and SAPS are working together to handle the festive season rush.
Senior Superintendent Parbhoo Sewpersadh, the spokesperson for metro police, said joint operations have already begun.
These include roadblocks, cordon-and-search, stop-and-search and intelligence-driven operations.
He said while normal vehicles could access the beach, taxis and buses would not be permitted.
“If the beachfront becomes extremely busy, we will close off like we normally do. The old Durban drive-in site has been identified for parking for taxis and buses that are bringing patrons to the beach. There will be a shuttle service from the drive-in site to the beach.
“I must reiterate that there must be no drinking of alcohol or carrying of alcohol to the beach. This rule also applies to other public places like the Blue Lagoon, parks and public pools.”
He said if holidaymakers were found with alcohol, it would be confiscated and people would be subject to a fine depending on the situation.
Sewpersadh was unable to confirm if breathalyser tests would be used during roadblocks, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, but he said the conventional method of taking blood samples would be conducted to check for alcohol levels.
He said there would be more officers on duty and asked that holidaymakers be responsible and comply with law enforcement.
“We have noticed that people are not complying with lifeguards on the beach and they are having to call in police officers to chase people out of the water. Because of this, we have had six drownings so far. We want people to enjoy themselves but we want them to behave themselves at all times.“
Sewpersadh said those who did not adhere to the curfew from midnight to 4am would be arrested and have to appear in court. He said thousands of people had been arrested this year in Durban for breaking the curfew.
Brigadier Jay Naicker of SAPS KZN said that for the festive season, a provincial directive had been forwarded to every police station in the province for every street to have an available, functional police member.
“Commanders have been asked to adapt the leave schedule of members so that only a minimal number of police officers will be granted vacation leave over this period.
“The SAPS will ensure that we have maximum manpower on the ground as our daily deployments and operations are monitored from the Provincial Operational Command Centre on a 24-hour basis.”
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the provincial police commissioner, said in a statement that police would be policing all areas, including the beaches and tourist hot spots as well as urban and rural areas.
“We wish all residents and visitors an enjoyable festive season, and we appeal to revellers to co-operate with security forces during this critical period.”
During the recent launch of the integrated festive season plan, which will run until January 31, KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said the specific focus would be on increased police visibility.
He said the role-players involved in the implementation of the plan included the Department of Community Safety and Liaison, Crime Intelligence Detective Services, Public Order Policing, Special Operations, the National Intervention Unit and the Tactical Response Team.
It also comprised metro police, Safer Cities, community police forums, community crime prevention associations, Sars, the Department of Home Affairs and the SANDF.
“We are warning those planning to commit a crime in KwaZulu-Natal that we will be everywhere.”
Zikalala identified several criminal activities that were prevalent during this time such as business robberies, house robberies, carjackings, cash in transit robberies, ATM bombings and casino robberies.
He said KZN continued to be plagued by high road deaths and accidents and urged people to drive responsibly.
“It was reported early this year that during the period December 1, 2020, to January 11, 2021, 1 448 people lost their lives on South African roads in no less than 1 210 fatal crashes. We must play our part as KZN to drastically reduce this figure.”
Zikalala also urged people to look after their children at the beaches and in public spaces.
“They must never be out of sight of guardians or parents. Sadly, we live in times where children are prey to various crimes, including human trafficking and kidnappings.”
During the launch, Mxolisi Kaunda, the eThekwini mayor, said the city was an economic hub of the province and during the festive season it attracted more visitors who wanted to explore the Golden Mile and other tourism products.
“Therefore, during this period we must leave nothing to chance, ensuring that our residents are safe on the road, and we must limit the number of crashes associated with this time of the year.
“It is also critical that our interventions give a sense of security to the residents as we continue to build trust between communities and the police,” said Kaunda.