As the festive season approaches, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is ramping up efforts to improve service delivery to communities by injecting additional policing resources in identified high crime areas.

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, said that if police want to flush out crime, they must operate with extra capacity.

“This display of force should serve as a warning shot to criminals but also demonstrate the commitment by this Ministry and SAPS management to support to improve police service delivery. We want this in all provinces as it will allow police to continue to respond to all opportunistic criminal elements, not only this festive season but beyond,” the Minister said.

On Tuesday, the SAPS in the Western Cape launched its Safer Festive Season campaign in Mitchell’s Plain in the Cape Flats.

Policing in the Cape Flats and other communities experiencing high cases of violent crimes such as murder, assault, robbery and gender based violence and femicide (GBVF) have received a lifeline. Additional patrol vehicles have been deployed to policing areas in and around the area.

On Monday, during a Ministerial Crime Prevention Imbizo, scores of new police patrol vans and high powered vehicles were also added to the existing vehicle fleet in order to better service the communities of Johannesburg South and surrounds.

“Mobile community service centres (CSC) – which is the first point of entry into the criminal justice system – have also been brought on board and are now stationed in identified high crime areas in the Johannesburg South in Gauteng, Cape Flats in the Western Cape and the Vhembe District in Limpopo, during the festive season and beyond. The Police Ministry remains steadfast in prioritising and bringing police services closer to communities,” it said.

The Ministry added that the resource injection comes at a time when police visibility is being heightened ahead of the holidays through the “Safer Festive Season” campaign.

These special operations have so far been rolled out in four provinces, namely Limpopo, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape under the theme ”More boots on the ground towards enhanced police visibility”.

Cele warned against the misuse of much-needed policing resources.

“These brand new vehicles and mobile stations should not be abused and only be used for their intended purpose – which is ensuring South Africans and all those who are within our borders always have access to a police officer at all times,” said the Minister.

The Police Ministry has further urged community members to report any misuse of police resources and encourages residents to continue to work closely with police to better fight crime.

The SAPS countrywide Safer Festive Season campaign is expected to wrap up at the end of January 2023.