Safer Festive Season: Police Minister kicks off countrywide inspection tour

The South African Police Service (Saps) launched the National Safer Festive Season Operations back in October 2021 to “ensure the safety of all over the holiday period”.

As part of the operation – under the theme Extending our reach through blue light visibility – Minister of Police Bheki Cele will embark on an annual inspection tour in all nine provinces.

Safer Festive Season Tour

Effectiveness of the resources

The Nationwide Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour will kick off in the Limpopo province on Monday 13 December 2021 and end in KwaZulu-Natal at the end of the year.

Minister Cele, together with the Saps management team at national and the respective provinces, will assess the effectiveness of the resources channelled to areas where they are most needed, to ensure police deal decisively with persistent crimes. 

The visit forms part of overall efforts by the South African Police Service, to tighten the grip on contact and violent crimes this festive season.

Festive season crimes

The Nationwide Safer Festive Season Inspection Tour will focus on visible policing and conducting special crime awareness and prevention operations; targeting crimes prevalent during the festive period such as Gender-Based Violence and crimes against children, border security, and contravention of road and traffic regulations.

Minister Cele says every safer festive season plan is unique to the province.

“We once again usher in the festive season during a pandemic that has been devastating to our country, during this time, police will continue to ensure maximum compliance of the regulations, to minimize the spread of the virus.”

“We know that criminals will try and take advantage of this time that is usually categorized by festivities, social gatherings and leisure.”

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‘Tailored’ operations

“While we urge South Africans to remain alert and be aware of their surroundings at all times to avoid being easy targets for criminals, the country’s officers in blue in all provinces will be at hand.”

“Their respective safer festive season plans are already in full swing and will be intensified as the year comes to a close.”

“These plans are not a one-size-fits-all, instead the operations are tailored to the needs of the province and are based on their crime situations.”

“I am sure the police will give criminals a hard time and squeeze out the space for anyone with criminal intent”, the Police minister concluded.

Safer Festive Season tour dates

• Limpopo: 13 December 2021
• Mpumalanga: 14 December 2021
• North West: 15 December 2021
• Gauteng: 16 December 2021
• Free State: 17 December 2021
• Northern Cape: 18 December 2021
• Western Cape: 20 December 2021
• Eastern Cape: 21 December 2021
• KwaZulu-Natal: 22 December 2021