Stakeholders jointly conduct Festive Safety awareness campaign

Under the theme Festive Safety, the occasion aimed to address crimes such as motor vehicle thefts, business robberies, ATM crimes and fraud.

They engaged with the community on societal issues namely gender-based violence (GBV), as well as road traffic acts. They also set up a table where they handed out promotional materials and interacted with the community while observing Covid-19 regulations.

Other role players included EMPD, paramedics, Brackendowns CPF, the centre management and businesses.

According to Brackendowns SAPS spokesperson WO Gerhard Cornelius, crime is rife during the festive season.

“We are also going to do talks and awareness campaigns in all shopping centres within the Brackendowns policing precinct. The big part of this campaign was GBV and other abuse-related cases, because this time of the year it really gets out of hand,” he said.

Cornelius encouraged the community to come forward and report any criminal elements during this festive season.
Inspector Thoko Ndlela of EMPD’s Social Crime Prevention Unit advised the community to take precautionary measures when travelling on roads during this time.

“People should be safe on roads and should make sure that they have their masks on. Motorists should not speed and their vehicles should be roadworthy to avoid accidents. It is advisable that road users be patient and give other motorists the right of way,” she said.

Resident Sandy Madanlal commended the initiative: “I think this is an excellent initiative and experience. People will be able to see that police are active and that they care. It will also make women to come forward in reporting cases.”