SAPS vows to tackle cash-in-transit heists
Police Minister Bheki Cele says more officers will be deployed to
combat the recent spate of cash-in-transit heists, hijackings and robberies.
Cele and National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole briefed the media on a new campaign to tackle serious and violent crime in Pretoria on Monday.
The new strategy will be intelligence-driven and involve visible policing.
"The more of us on the ground, the better our technology, the better our intelligence and the better our understanding will make us respond quicker to crime scenes," said Cele.
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Another major focus of the operation will be the disarming of
criminals.
"Some of the guns are legal but get used during house
robberies and hijacking's which convert them to illegal firearms. This is why
we will give space for amnesty for people to bring guns they don't need. But we
will make life very tough for those that keep illegal firearms until we find
them, we will be doing door to doors, visiting hostels and many other
areas," added Cele.
Sitole told the media they will also rid the police force of
corrupt elements.
"The task we are facing is to stabilise
crime but also to clean up our organisation. We support investigations
conducted by (police watchdog) IPID but we will also be initiating our own
investigations where the law warrants we should. The minister indicated last
week that we suspended two generals. That’s the action we took.”