March 17, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
POLICE were out in full force the past three days, conducting massive operations in an effort to rid the city of crime and criminals at identified hotspots. The crime blitz involved various law enforcement agencies.
The clampdown was part of the Johannesburg City Safety Programme (JCSP), which aims to make Joburg attractive to investors and safe for residents and tourists.
As part of the campaign, the Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted joint operations from 15 to 17 March involving body searches and roadblocks in Norwood, Moroka and the inner city to root out criminals.
City Power, the City's emergency services, building and planning control and the department of environmental health joined the two law enforcement agencies.
Kicking off the campaign, roadblocks were set up for vehicle and body searches in the Norwood policing precinct, where an upsurge in crime had been reported. Ten vehicles and 25 officers from the JMPD and SAPS were deployed in Norwood, Orange Grove, Sydenham and Highlands North on Wednesday.
During the blitz, four people were arrested for possession of instruments use to break into cars. Several people were also taken in for possession of documentation used in fraudulent activities. The police were also in te lookout for people in pssession of pirate copies of the South African hit movie, Tsotsi.
Motorists had their driving and vehicle licences checked at the roadblocks. The police were also on the lookout for drivers with outstanding warrants of arrest, drugs, illegal firearms and other illegal substances, according to Nazira Cachalia, the JCSP manager.
On Thursday police "virtually cordoned off" Midway, an area in Moroka famous for motor vehicle scrap yards, in a six-hour blitz checking for stolen vehicles and property.
And, the city centre was not spared. Roadblocks were mounted in more than 20 streets, with several buildings being targeted for drugs and stolen property searches, illegal electricity connections and by-law contraventions in an operation dubbed Operation Siyabopha.
"We were looking for compliance in terms of health and fire and safety by-laws and City Power will be on the lookout for illegal electricity connections and stolen cables," Cachalia said.
The operation involved more than 300 JMPD and SAPS uniformed and plainclothes officers. A helicopter and four canter trucks provided air and ground backup. Two ambulances and other "necessary resources" were on standby for any eventuality.
By 3.30pm on Friday, the operation had managed to net in 166 people arrested for various crimes committed within the city centre, according to South African Police Services spokesperson, Chris Wilken.
The magnitude of the operation in the inner city necessitated the setting up of a special task team to work with the close circuit television camera room crew to monitor proceedings.
"Joburg is committed to creating a clean, safe city in which all its citizens can live, work and play," Cachalia said.
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