No festive leave for police officers, says Bheki Cele
Any officers who want their leave approved will have to reapply after January 15 as police gear up for the festive season.
Police Minister Bheki Cele. Photo: Bennitt Bartl
While the rest of the country can look forward to the coming festive break, police officers will be on the beat as usual.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Thursday in Centurion that this included top-level police management, whose leave has been cancelled for the coming festive months, reports Centurion Rekord.
“Not all of us will be able to take a break in this time,” Cele said.
“Our men and women in blue will not be taking a break. Any of our officers who want their leave approved will have to reapply after 15 January.”
Cele was addressing a National Press Club at the Leriba Hotel in Centurion on Thursday morning.
He highlighted police plans and tactics for curbing crime in the coming festive season.
“We have found that most murders happened between Thursday evenings and Monday mornings,” he said.
“For this reason, our officers will be deployed over the weekends, especially at so-called ‘drinking holes’ where alcohol is sold.
“These areas tend to have the highest crime rates where murders, especially those committed with knives, tend to happen.”
Cele said police officers were now receiving special training to deal with gender-based violence.
This was the most expensive of crime-combating areas, according to the minister.
“Our department is facing massive budget cuts but we continue to treat violence against women and children in the strictest manner,” he said.
“Officers are being trained to better handle reports of these kinds of crimes.
“The issue surrounding rape kits and their shortages at some stations has also been sorted out with the signing of a three-year contract with the supplier.”
Cele said 1,818 officers were receiving specialised training to deal with gender-based violence crimes.
The minister also warned criminals that police would not hesitate to retaliate if forced to do so.
He drew on Wednesday morning’s arrest, of four men believed to be part of a theft syndicate on the R21 highway near Centurion.
During a high-speed chase and shootout with police, one of the men was shot and killed while another was wounded.
“If criminals want to shoot at our officers, we will have no choice but to react with force.”
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