Kaunda Selisho

By Kaunda Selisho

Journalist


City of Johannesburg cracks down on JMPD officers

The city wants to ensure their officers stick to the letter of the law


The city of Johannesburg has reminded residents of their dedicated helpline where they can report any misconduct or ill-treatment at the hands of a Johannesburg Metro Police officer in efforts to curb bribery and corruption as part of their Buya Mthetho initiative.

This was reiterated during today’s briefing in which the city’s crime stats for the month of September were released.

The city has committed to releasing crime stats on a monthly basis in an effort to make crime prevention a priority in Joburg.

During his presentation of the crime stats, police chief David Tembe reminded his colleagues that the monthly release of the stats was not intended to put pressure on them and that it should be seen as a way for them to quickly implement corrective action if there is anything they are not doing correctly.

Firearms and ammunition, fraud, drugs, motor vehicle theft, driving under the influence, and reckless and negligent driving were listed as the top crime types based on arrests made between July and September with driving under the influence bringing in the most arrests.

As a result, the city has also vowed to continue to be tough on drivers until they comply with the law.

The city shared the stats for the top 10 arrests per region based on the regions under the COJ area. Region E, the Sandton/Alex racked up the most arrests (430 arrests between July and September 2018), many of which were related to drinking and driving.

The city also shared the outcome of the many roadblock operations they implemented in recent months.

In the period July to September, 76 cases were filed against JMPD officers for unbecoming conduct, insubordination, assault, behavioural issues, and so forth.

Of those cases, only six sanctions were issued.

Despite this, the city is adamant that the public report any unfair treatment on the city’s anti-corruption hotline.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.