“Actually all the leave has been cancelled, even at the top level,” he said.

Cele said that officers will be out in full force over the festive period and “blue lights will be the order of the day”.

It is all part of the police’s new crime strategy nicknamed “Zizojikia Izinto” which will see police taking a different approach in tackling crime, Cele said.

“As the police service, turning the tide against criminality means for us, we must do things differently. This is why we are addressing the availability of resources and the alignment of resources with urgency. We know that murders occur mostly on weekends and in many instances people are killed nearby drinking holes, now equipped with these facts, we will deploy more officers at identified areas at identified times in an effort to bring down incidents of contact and violent crimes. We will utilise resources optimally and shift them to places they are needed most,” he said.