The technical squad from eThekwini watch their players carefully during the Metro Police Games hosted by Joburg

RELATED LINKS: Traffic Fines TRAFFIC policing is the responsibility of the Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD), which was established in March 2001. Read more Cops team up as a force for good TWO years on, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department and the SA Police Services have defied the cynics who thought their alliance would never work. In fact, the two have just made history with a memorandum of understanding. Read more Moroccan delegation visits Joburg's finest A DELEGATION of law enforcement officials are in Johannesburg to learn how the city keeps crime in check. Read more Metro police to recruit hundreds AS PART of its campaign to combat crime, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department has embarked on a massive recruitment drive, aiming to increase its members to 4 000 by 2009. Read more The Metro cops who aim for speed THE elite cycling team from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department shows it has the determination and dedication to become one of the top cycling teams in the country. Read more

Fostering good relations: participants in the Metro Police Games relax and enjoy the day

Metro police battle it out on sports fields Aimed at building good relationships between departments across the country, the second annual Metro Police Games saw various teams battling it out on the sports fields of Johannesburg. September 7, 2006 By Thabang Mokoka KITTED out with soccer boots, shin pads and kits, metro police teams from Johannesburg and eThekwini found themselves facing each other in the soccer final of the second annual Metro Police Games. The match, the culmination of the three-day sports festival held throughout Johannesburg from 29 to 31 August. Aimed at building good relationships between metro police departments around the country, the City invited teams from Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, eThekwini and Cape Town to compete against each other in different sporting codes, including soccer, netball, golf and shooting. The soccer game at the Eldorado Sports Stadium on 31 August was a fitting ending to the event. The skills showed on the pitch would have impressed newly appointed Bafana Bafana coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira. With the flow of the game pretty even in the early phases, Monakeng Modisane from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department broke the deadlock, netting the ball in the 33rd minute. From then on the determined team from KwaZulu-Natal's coastal city were not letting it slide. Their determination paid off as they equalised in the second half. The final score was 1-1. The football final at the Metro Police Games was a fiercely contest match between squads from Joburg and eThekwini However, the Joburg teams did the city proud, coming tops in several events, including volleyball, target shooting, cycling and athletics. Ekurhuleni didn't disappoint, with their netball team winning the finals against Johannesburg. Wing attacker for the Johannesburg squad, Thuli Mabota, was impressed with the Ekurhuleni opposition, congratulating them on their good play. The games were a good way of fostering good relationships between the different metros, according to Johannesburg Metro Police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar. "It is about participating in a team - that is meaningful." Minnaar said it was decided to hold the tournament after seeing how sport contributed to the officers' well-being after a successful tournament hosted by the Cape Town Metro Police Department. "A fit officer is a good officer who can deal with challenges physically and emotionally," he said. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za