South Africa : Joburg Metro Police out in full force over December

Johannesburg - While most of us are finalising our festive season plans, 1 500 Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers are gearing up for a busy two months.

At least 1500 officers will be deployed to the streets of Johannesburg to ensure motorists abide by the law. The officers plan to hold up to 88 roadblocks on some days in an attempt to clamp down on traffic offences, reports joburg.org.za.

Special roadblocks will be manned by the Director of the JMPD, David Tembe, and the Flying Squad Director, Tirhani Maswanganyi, from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

In addition, the JMPD has boosted the flying squad's capacity by 60 officers and 22 vehicles.

Mr Tembe said the high capacity deployment would be a preventative measure against crime.

"What we'll do is enforce the law fairly, but robustly," he confirmed, adding that both infrastructure and manpower would be doubled over the festive season.

While Gauteng schools closed last week and many are heading off on the traditional migration to the coast, Mr Tembe urged motorists to obey the rules of the road and report incidences of crime and dangerous driving.

"Do not make it easy for criminals. When you see something, do something. Those who keep quiet are as guilty as the perpetrators."

To ensure that law-abiding citizens enjoyed a happy holiday, JMPD officers would take a "zero-tolerance" approach to anti-social behaviour, including driving under the influence and driving dangerously or negligently.

Unlicensed vehicles and drivers, and displaying false number plates and licences would likewise be dealt with harshly.

Those motorists who do break the law would have "a miserable Christmas", Mr Tembe promised.

The JMPD is hoping to build on its past successes. The officers reduced the number of accidents over Easter by 71 percent and over 2007's festive season by 20 percent.

The have already seen successes this year with fatalities on the province's roads dropping 25 percent between July and September, compared with the three months from April to June; compared with the same period in 2007, fatalities were down 24 percent.

The number of pedestrians killed remains a big headache for the department, and the most dangerous time for motorists is still over weekends. JMPD spokesperson, Wayne Minnaar, said the majority of fatal accidents, 74 percent, occur over weekends between the hours of 6pm and 8am.

Another concern is the number of young people - between 20 and 30 years old - who are caught for drunken driving. In 2007, the metro police arrested 735 people over December, of whom almost 90 percent fell into the younger bracket.

Motorists can also expect to pay more; the JMPD is overhauling its fine structure, subject to approval by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the senior prosecutor.

"Fines are negligible and we are working on increasing these," Mr Tembe confirmed.

To report a crime or traffic-related incident, contact the metro police call centre on 011 375 5911 or the SAPS flying squad in an emergency on 10111. - BuaNews