Boost to festive season safety

EASTERN Cape premier Phumulo Masualle has called on the police to make the province a tough place for criminals to operate this festive season.

Masualle was speaking at the official provincial launch of Operation Safer Festive Season and high police visibility in Komani yesterday.

“We want to have a respected police service which will make sure that the law is respected by all. That cannot be done without working with communities and community police forums.

“I have noticed that when there is police visibility, people drive cautiously on the road and there is less crime,” he said.

Any police officers caught working with criminals would be arrested and put in prison where they belonged, he said.

Eastern Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said she had handed over 29 vehicles to police stations throughout the province.

“When the stations say they don’t have cars, you must tell them that they are lying because I gave them cars,” Ntshinga said.

“We will not have mercy [on criminals] . . . We will arrest all those abusing women and we will oppose bail.”

Safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana urged the community not to take the law into their own hands.

“When the police come to arrest suspects like it was done in Mdantsane, don’t burn police cars because you will need them,” she said.