The City has been compiling monthly crime statistics since September this year which have become a useful tool for officers in the fight against criminals.
Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Herman Mashaba said, “Safety remains a key concern for many of our residents. Though policing remains a provincial and national competency per the Constitution, within its limited mandate the City’s JMPD [Metro police] is working hard to increase the levels of safety within our communities.”
The released statistics, which reflect the efforts of the police through Operation Buya Mthetho and other initiatives in November, showed that the biggest crime committed was driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Over 800 arrests were made in connection with drunk driving in November. This cannot go unpunished,“ said Mashaba.
“If allowed, such behavior graduates to reckless driving which puts the lives of innocent people in grave danger. Some of the key statistics are the recovery of 121 stolen or hijacked vehicles and 16 firearms.
“Across all of the City’s regions, driving under the influence, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of or dealing in drugs were the biggest concerns.”
The second most committed crime in November was public violence with 36 arrests.
The Metro police conducted more than 500 operations, yielding 50 public drinking arrests, the impounding of 22 vehicles and more than 100 arrests. A total of 5 896 bylaws were enforced during Operation Buya Mthetho. These included the removal of illegal advertising, cracking down on illegal dumping and illegal electricity connections.
The City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Services and Metro police raided 28 buildings and arrested 40 undocumented persons in November.
The Metro police also orchestrated operations alongside the police focused on counterfeit goods with goods worth an estimated R78 million being confiscated.
With the festive season underway, the chief of the Metro police David Tembe said they had recorded 11 fatalities due to road accidents since the 5 December.
Mashaba concluded, “As a City, we will continue to do all that is within our power to ensure that we create safe and connected communities throughout Johannesburg. Alongside this, we will continue to work with our law enforcement authorities to see to it that where arrests are made by JMPD, these cases are not only investigated but also properly prosecuted by law enforcement authorities.”
Details: www.joburg.org.za
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