Easter fatalities decrease and more arrests made in March
JOHANNESBURG – The fewer number of fatalities was attributed to effective police visibility.
Road fatalities during the Easter weekend were reduced by 81 per cent in the City of Johannesburg.
This was revealed by the Chief of Metro police David Tembe during the announcement of JMPD performance report for March at the City of Johannesburg Council Chamber on 26 April.
Only three fatalities have recorded this Easter compared to 16 from last year. Tembe attributed the achievement to effective police visibility, the performance of the newly appointed director of operations, Angie Mokasi and the Easter campaign conducted across the city.
“We made sure that officers were spotted in every 10 kilometers for effective policing. We visited places selling alcohol to ensure compliance. We also visited parks, not to police people but to make sure that they were safe. We have also made this achievement due to cooperation from the community members. The trust they have developed for us is yielding good results, ” said Tembe.
A total of 4 933 citations were issued on the freeways, 8 499 vehicles were stopped, more than 7 000 vehicles were searched and 110 people were arrested for drunk driving.
MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun added that the City takes road safety seriously which resulted in operations and a high number of citations given.
“We have received criticism from the public that this might be another way for us to generate revenue. However, we would much prefer motorists to be safe than to pay fines,” said Sun.
Furthermore, in the month of March, 804 arrests were made for driving under the influence of alcohol of which, 45 were in Midrand, 116 in Randburg, 80 in Roodepoort, 113 in Soweto, 98 in Alexandra and Sandton, 146 at the inner city, 57 in Orange Grove, 39 in Turfontein and Rossettenville and 110 on the freeway.
Eight arrests were made for kidnapping. Tembe said the arrests made were related to hijackings. “Some cars were hijacked in areas including Soweto, Eldorado Park and other parts of Johannesburg. The arrests were not made during roadblocks or operations but they were as a result of a car tracking exercise by the K9 unit,” added Tembe.
Operation Buya Mthetho saw 306 illegally connected electricity meters removed, 42 trucks impounded, 60 illegally connected water meters removed and 13 trailers impounded
What do you think the JMPD should improve on to make ensure safety on roads?
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