Police Minister Bheki Cele expressed satisfaction at operational plans put in place by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga in preparation for the influx of visitors to the province for the festive season.

The Minister was on Tuesday in the province for the second leg of his country-wide Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour.

The province, known for its many holiday sites and tourist attractions, receives hundreds of thousands of visitors during the holiday season.

Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba in a statement said the provincial police management briefed the Police Ministry and national SAPS management on its safer festive season safety plans that started in October and will run until the end of January 2022.

The Minister was accompanied by Police Deputy Minister Cassel Mathale and National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole and his management team.

“Police in Mpumalanga have amongst other interventions, strengthened its working relations with communities and has roped in members of the public to support crime fighting through the community policing structures and the SAPS Community in Blue initiative.

Cele in the statement said it was through such partnerships that the country could turn the tide against crimes such as gender-based violence (GBV).

He said: “We simply can’t afford to work in silos, not only during this period of festivities but beyond. I am very sure that the partnership that the SAPS in this province has with communities and other law enforcement agencies will reduce crime during this time.

“The partnership with law enforcement agencies and other government departments aims to track and combat cross-border crimes and the crossing of illicit goods through the Mpumalanga border with Mozambique. The monitoring of undocumented persons will also be heightened through the work of multi-department roadblocks.”

The Ministry said SAPS officers in Mpumalanga would ensure a safer festive season through crime prevention and crime combatting operations while maintaining high visibility at places of leisure and areas where people are likely to converge in numbers. It added that officers would also focus on dealing with the most prevalent crimes as well as any new, or opportunistic crimes.

The Safer Festive season Inspection Tour will next make a stop in Gauteng on 16 December.

Source: South African Government News Agency