Operation Uxolo Festive Season Plan of South African Police Service (SAPS),
Kimberley
1 November 2006
Programme director
Provincial Commissioner Zukiswa Mbombo
Safety and Liaison Head of Department, Liz Botes
Provincial Crime Prevention Director, Tyuthuza
Area Commissioner Present
Men and Ladies in blue
Other Government officials from the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security
(JCPS) Cluster
Respected members of the media
We are gathered here this afternoon to launch our Provincial Crime
Prevention Operational Plan for the Northern Cape for the period 1 November
2006 until 31 January 2007.
The operations have been divided into various phases, ranging from the
pre-holiday season through to the mid-holiday season, Christmas and New Year
period to the post holiday season, and specific tasks have been allocated in
order to address crime trends typical to specific phases.
Members of the media and those of our communities should take note that all
operations are aimed at ensuring that a peaceful Christmas and New Year can be
enjoyed by all communities in our province, including our visitors and those
travelling through our province.
We will be engaged in road blocks, vehicle check points and
cordon-and-search operations and urge the public to be patient and to offer
their wholehearted co-operation to law enforcement officials who are
sacrificing their family time to ensure a safe and secure holiday season.
A few special policing operations will also take place, namely:
* safer transportation - in order to ensure the safety of public transport
commuters and holiday makers the police will deploy members from our stations
and areas to perform crime prevention duties on a number of identified bus and
taxi ranks
* community patrol visible policing to take place in identified areas,
including patrols and visits to farms, rural areas, empty houses and
premises
* road runner, high performance marked and unmarked police vehicles will be
deployed on main roads
* cross-border operations will take place in co-operation with the police
services of our neighbouring provinces such as the Free State, North West,
Eastern Cape and Western Cape to prevent and combat cross-border crimes
* disaster management will take place where and when necessary.
During the festive season the South African Police Service will be working
in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, government departments and
other role players including the Department of Safety and Liaison.
On behalf of the people of the Northern Cape I wish to thank our the top
management of the South African Police Service and their members for their
sterling efforts throughout the year and to thank their families for their
support and understanding, especially at this time of the year when police
officials, both men and women, are expected to work very long hours.
The men and ladies in blue, thank you for attending and being part the
launch of Operation Uxolo 2; as usual before peak holidays, we have made it
part of our yearly programme to unveil activities entailed in our Summer
Holiday Road Safety Programme. To this end, the Provincial Commissioner Mbombo
and Director Tyuthuza will give an outline of major steps that we will be
taking to save lives during this festive season and beyond.
As you know our province is blessed with a huge influx of tourists during
the festive season and it is for this reason that the provincial Department of
Safety and Liaison through our traffic officers will move in full swing to save
lives by inculcating the culture of road safety and responsible driving and
walking. We will neither tolerate those drinking and driving, nor those
drinking and walking; all offenders will be dealt with by the full might of the
law.
Public attitudes to road safety constitute the largest single factor
impacting on the frequency of serious road accidents. Most of the fatal and
injury accidents happening in our province are attributed to human error as a
major contributory factor.
Our department has dedicated its efforts towards achieving responsible
driving, passenger and pedestrian culture, in order to induce safe road usage
and to save lives. We have prepared a vigorous law enforcement and education
campaign to ensure the safety of tourists and everybody in the province.
Our focus area is that of saving lives and as such, we have devised some
mechanisms aimed at reducing road crashes during this festive season. These
include:
Rest stops
We wish to encourage travellers and drivers to make maximum use of the rest
stops established at various places throughout the province to assist motorists
with information; to act as safe rest stops for tired motorists; and to report
reckless and bad driving. Their purpose is to provide all motorists with a
resting place especially on alternate routes, to stop and relax for at least
ten minutes.
Road blocks
The provincial South African Police Service together with our department,
the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the various
municipalities, will stage co-ordinated, planned, as well as random roadblocks
and enforcement exercises throughout the province. Our campaign will focus on
speeding motorists, drunken driving, non-wearing of seat belts and careless
pedestrians. There will be multi-disciplinary roadblocks as from 1 November
until 31 January 2007.
All drivers who are stopped for speeding will automatically be checked for
alcohol, driver's licence and usage of safety belts, as well as for illegal
cellphone usage. Roadside courts will be operational at strategic points.
The Traffic Arrive Alive Festive Season Campaign will run from November and
will be launched later this month. In both campaigns, SAPS's Operation Uxolo
and the Provincial Traffic Arrive Alive Programme will be implemented in a very
comprehensive schedule of events for this holiday period, and when we talk
about Zero Tolerance approach and we mean just that.
Our aim is to continue to reduce fatalities and serious as well as disabling
injuries still further, upholding our "best practice in Road safety" reputation
and maintaining our position as road safety leaders in the country; as we
scooped the Driver of the Year title for 2006, last week, when three of our
drivers won top position in the National Driver of the Year Competition.
In conclusion, our message is very clear, "obey the rules or pay the fine."
We hope that this approach and understanding will change people's behaviour and
lives are being saved in the process. Through the effective co-operation of all
role players, a proper co-ordination of our efforts and an integrated approach,
we believe that we are definitely achieving our objective of saving lives and
ensuring a safe and secured Northern Cape that truly belongs to its entire
people.
As is common knowledge that the December/January festive season is usually a
period during which we notice an increase in various types of crimes, ranging
from alcohol and drug abuse to serious and violent crimes. However, we wish to
assure the public that the tide will turn this year and the situation will be
different.
To those planning to break police and traffic laws this season, beware our
law enforcement agencies are fully equipped and ready to deal with any form of
misbehaviour. If you think of breaking the laws this festive season, please bid
your family farewell and start preparing for your long prison stay. You may run
but you may not hide because South African Police Service (SAPS) and the
traffic officers will be all over.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Safety and Liaison, Northern Cape Provincial
Government
1 November 2006
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za)
