Gauteng to get 400 more traffic police officers over three years

Gauteng will get 400 additional traffic police officers in the next three years to increase visibility and enhance road safety, community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko has announced.

Mazibuko made the announcement during a post-state of the province address (Sopa) event by several MECs at the Gauteng Legislature on Tuesday.

To fight crime in the province, the police will also be provided with 100 high-performance vehicles which will be fitted with cutting-edge crime-fighting technology and 50 additional patrol cars.

Twelve mobile police stations will also operate at public events and enhance police visibility in crime hotspots and on highways for 24 hours per day.

Other projects the department will be carrying out include the setting up of a state-of-the-art Provincial Integrated Command Centre that will allow law enforcement agencies and private security companies to share resources and crime-fighting technology capabilities, she said.

“Community policing is the first line of defence and a force multiplier in ensuring that our streets and homes are safe at all times. Ladies and gentlemen, if this first line of defence is weak and not properly resourced or capacitated, we won’t win the battle against crime,” Mazibuko said.

Looking into safety at schools, healthcare facilities and public spaces, Mazibuko said patrollers have been inducted to combat crime in those areas.

A joint team consisting of law enforcement agencies in Ekurhuleni has been tasked with searching for drug dealers in the area by Friday 13 March, she said.

This was part of the department’s fight to eradicate gangsterism and drugs in communities.

“This previous Sunday we hosted a consultation meeting with various stakeholders on the Gauteng Gender-based Violence Response Plan,” Mazibuko said.

“The plan was announced by Premier David Makhura in his state of the province address on 25 February 2020, and gives effect to the president’s Emergency Response Action Plan on gender-based violence and femicide. The comprehensive plan with consolidated inputs from our stakeholders will be launched by Premier David Makhura on 27 April 2020.”

The 2018/2019 National Crime Statistics report shows that murder cases are at their highest level in four years.

In Gauteng, there were 4,495 cases of murder registered, an increase of 262 on the previous year.

Police in the province detected 13,646 fewer drug-related crimes.

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