suspects in city centre armed robbery
11 October 2006
The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cachalia has welcomed the arrest
of four suspects allegedly involved in an armed robbery that left a one year
old dead and bystanders injured in the Johannesburg city centre yesterday.
He congratulated the police on their swift action. "This is an indication
that the police are on high alert and criminals who engage in these barbaric
activities will be confronted and they will pay a price for their intolerable
behaviour," said Cachalia.
He said although the criminals are still out there and the battle is far
from over, the police have equally increased their vigilance.
"Aggravated robbery has been identified as a priority crime for attention in
the Gauteng Safety Strategy. However, the urgency of the situation is clearly
understood by the Department of Community Safety, the South African Police
Services (SAPS) and our other partners such as Business against Crime and the
South African Bank Risk Information Centre. Various initiatives are currently
underway to strengthen our ability to collectively tackle this type of crime.
In addition the City of Johannesburg has a City Safety Strategy in place and
the inner city is one of the focus areas of the strategy," said Cachalia.
The MEC will tomorrow, Thursday, 12 October 2006 visit Cynthia Mitileni, the
mother of the baby who was killed in the shootout, to convey his
condolences.
For more information contact:
Phumla Sekhonyane
Tel: (011) 689 3633
Cell: 082 909 3708
Issued by: Department of Community Safety, Gauteng Provincial
Government
11 October 2006
