June 27, 2005
By Lucky Sindane
NIGHTCLUBS, shebeens and taverns in Rosettenville and Turffontein were targeted by Johannesburg's metro police on Friday night in a crime prevention operation.
The squad, made up of officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Emergency Management Services (EMS), and the South African Police Service (SAPS), tackled eight venues on Friday, 24 June in a well-orchestrated swoop in southern Johannesburg.
Mayoral committee member Councillor Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane addresses the squad
Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg
The preparation was thorough, with mayoral committee member for public safety, Councillor Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, addressing the squad at the JMPD's headquarters in Region 9 before the operation. "We are not going to make friends tonight," Nkosi-Malobane said.
The campaign, part of the City's ongoing crime busting campaign Operation Token Days, was aimed at tackling prostitution, drugs and illegal firearms and enforcing by-laws covering noise, health and safety and fire.
Part of the operation were officials from the City's environmental health department, City Power and City councillors from section eight public safety. The K9 unit also joined the action.
Then the convoy moved out.
On arrival at a venue some officers searched individuals standing outside; others went into the building and switched off the music to get everyone's attention. The K9 unit, sniffer dogs to the fore, immediately checked the bathrooms for drugs.
Each member of the team was clear about the different duties that had to be carried out.
City Power electricians checked electricity connections to make sure they were legal, health inspectors checked the kitchens and bathrooms and EMS personnel checked fire safety standards.
Outside, SAPS officers checked the fingerprints of each person on a portable Morpho Touch Machine.
By the end of the evening, among several incidents, one liquor licence was withdrawn, the power was cut off in three venues because of illegal connections, and two notices were served to stop the businesses from operating. A number of warnings were also issued regarding contravention of various by-laws.
Describing the operation as necessary "not only for economic development but also for the normal functioning of the city as a whole", the spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, Nthatisi Modingoane, said, "Criminal activities must be reduced drastically for the City to realise increased investment and economic growth.
"Stability and increased confidence can only be achieved through sustainable by-law enforcement and crime prevention."
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