July 5, 2007
By Emily Visser
PROJECT Thiba has been running since October 2006, but in the last three months the Johannesburg metropolitan police department has tightened its grip on serious offenders.
"In the past we caught the offenders on camera, but we now arrest them," said the department's spokesperson, Wayne Minnaar.
Project Thiba was launched by the department in an effort to clamp down on moving violations on the City's roads.
Close to 100 drivers have been arrested since the project was stepped up in April. Over the past weekend, 18 motorists were arrested at check points in Ontdekkers Road, Horizon on Friday night and at the Golden Highway on Sunday.
Metro police have vowed to arrest motorists who break the law
Metro police had identified a number of traffic hotspots and check-points would "be chosen at random", Minnaar said. Project Thiba will be run throughout the year in an effort to deal with speeding, drunk driving and other traffic contraventions on city roads.
High speeding zones are usually identified by the public; people then alert the metro police. Roads with high accident zones are also targeted by the project.
A drunk driver in a silver Polo was arrested after driving on the wrong side of Ontdekkers Road on Friday night, Minnaar confirmed. While officers were arresting him, two other vehicles were caught on camera speeding, one doing 150 kilometres an hour and the other 143 kilometres an hour in the 70km zone.
"The drivers - in a white Golf and a silver Mercedes - were caught on camera and will be arrested at home."
One of the biggest problems for metro police was drunk drivers, with most "incidents" occurring when these people were arrested. Last weekend, 18 drunk drivers were arrested. Ten motorists were arrested for speeding along the Golden Highway on Sunday, with the highest speed recorded by a silver Mercedes Benz, clocking 170 kilometres an hour in an 80km zone.
Drivers are arrested at the scene and taken to police offices, where they have to pay bail of R1 000. They then have to appear in the magistrates' court, where fines are awarded. Depending on the severity of their transgressions, they may loose their driver's licences, Minnaar said.
The metro police department has 40 cameras installed throughout the city and receives up to 40 000 photographs a month.
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 |
