The end of October saw the deployment of the South African Police Service. The festive season crackdown began on 1 October where the police service has put structures in place in the pursuit of lawlessness and ensured the safety of the community.
The parking lot at Northgate Shopping Centre between Woolworths and Virgin Active saw the members of different branches form the police service assemble. The morning parade commenced with a few words from the station commander of the Honeydew Police Station Brigadier Anesh Maharaj. Maharaj spoke about the various areas the police would be deployed into. Other matters, which were discussed by Lieutenant Colonel Ketlani Rikhotso and Colonel John Theunissen, included safety measures as well as a reminder that the police are to be alert and that they may not be received well by suspects while on the job.
The festive period plan for heightened vigilance has been initiated on the national level of the SAPS. Honeydew police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan explained that the police service festive season begins on 1 October and continues until the end of February. This means that, although they await orders from the national and provincial police commissioners, the different districts gauge the crime in the area and respond accordingly.
Honeydew and the Johannesburg districts have begun their festive season plan for crime detection and prevention which included, but is not exclusive to, shopping malls, centres and business areas. This was in response to high crime rates in the area.
The structure of the festive period plan has also made way for police who are enrolled at the colleges to gain experience. The future of the police force will be brought out on patrols where they can put their practical knowledge to the test throughout November.
Muthan urged the community to abide by the law and not to take the law ‘into their own hands’. The parade was concluded with a prayer and was followed by the separation of the SAPS where each branch represented was assigned a police officer who led the group.
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