LIMPOPO – Thirteen new vehicles were handed over to the police’s highway patrol unit during an official ceremony, held at the Louis Trichardt-Elim N1 circle on July 13.
The handover formed part of the province’s visible policing initiative to increase police presence on the roads.
The seven BMWs and six GTI Golfs which were added to the unit’s fleet, will be used for operational duties and patrols on the N1, which many criminal syndicates use to traffic firearms, drugs and other illegal goods into the province, especially from Musina to Hammanskraal. The aim is to prevent these criminals from leaving the province with stolen goods.
The MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya facilitated the handover and addressed police officers.
“The vehicles should ensure effective service delivery. These are the tools of the trade and we commit that these vehicles will be used only for the benefit of the community.
“They will be looked after and maintained well for continuous service delivery,” she said, adding that more vehicles will be distributed to other areas.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe said the vehicles will play an instrumental role in the fight against crime in the respective policing areas.
“We want police members to be accessible and prepared on the N1,” she said.
Hadebe urged police officers to utilise the vehicles responsibly.
“These vehicles are valuable assets that will definitely help us to reach our people out there. They are for the benefit of the communities, so let us show them that we are here and performing our duty.”
Limpopo chairperson of the Community Policing Forum (CPF), France Kgasago said the presentation will simplify the police’s duties to a great extent and give them access where they had been restricted before.
