Police have continued their weekly Okae Molao operations in a bid to curb crime during the festive season and encourage community safety.
“Okae Molao is an integrated operation where, with the help of other law-enforcement agencies, we target areas where we believe crime is problematic,” said Provincial Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters.
Last week, provincial police officials visited areas on the East Rand, and during the week of 6 November, areas in the north of Johannesburg will get a focus.
Peters said that usually the operation starts with a massive police parade followed by numerous roadblocks, but due to unforeseen heavy rain, the scale of the operation on 5 November had to be toned down.
“We will continue through the week with roadblocks that will involve stop-and-searches to search for dangerous weapons, illegal items and stolen vehicles, but also to heighten our visibility in the area. Our goal for the festive season is to deter crime by showing a strong presence in public spaces such as shopping centres and busy intersections on roads.
“We strongly assure that we are here for the public, and it is our mission to make them feel safe in every possible way,” continued Peters.
The police set up an information stand near Entrance 3 of Northgate Shopping Centre to distribute festive season crime safety tips to the public, and encouraged shoppers to ask pressing questions about crime.
Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Patricia Rampota showed her support for the event in the company of other provincial police officials.
Northgate Shopping Centre’s marketing manager Annah Moremela said that hosting the police at the centre was highly valued.
“As a shopping centre at the heart of our community, we have a very strong relationship with the police and community police forums. The safety of all our patrons is of utmost importance, especially during the festive season. It is equally important that our community is well informed about issues regarding crime and how to report it.
“The presence of the police during their festive season operations helps us in our goal to create an even safer shopping environment for all our customers.”
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