During a recent monthly meeting of the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum, Captain Fritz Kriel, the head of operations for the unit, said during the month of March they conducted four operations with Gautrans and Metro police which focused on reckless driving. The three law enforcement bodies have committed to meeting at the Douglasdale Police Station once a month to report back and plan further operations in the Douglasdale policing precinct.
“We are hearing the public’s frustration with reckless driving and are responding accordingly,” Kriel said.
Working with Metro police, Echo Relief Unit has also removed illegal traders at the corner of William Nicol Drive and Fourways Boulevard. According to Metro representatives at the forum meeting, Metro is in talks with the public prosecutor to allow Metro police to make on-site arrests for illegal dumping, which they believe will help to alleviate the problem in Sector 2. Ward 115 councillor Chris Santana added that the public should be aware that the Marlboro dumping site is now open for the legal dumping of building rubble and is free of charge.
Echo Relief Unit’s most recent operation with Metro police and Gautrans on 14 April took place at the corner of Witkoppen and Main Roads in Lonehill and William Nicol Drive and Leslie Avenue, near Montecasino, and resulted in 18 arrests, 14 citations and one discontinuing notice for contraventions of the Road Traffic Act.
At the forum meeting, Metro police’s representative for region E made a further promise to arrest any motorists driving on the yellow line. The forum and Douglasdale police confirmed that they were also adopting a zero tolerance approach to reckless driving in the Fourways area.
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