DURBAN - MORE than 110 additional police officers have been deployed to reduce crime in three hot spots in KwaZulu-Natal, uMlazi, Inanda and Plessislaer just outside Pietermaritzburg.
Police Minister General Bheki Cele, in his latest effort to turn around crime in the province, addressed 50 additional police officers deployed at the Plessislaer SAPS since last week.
Cele said Plessislaer featured as one of the most troublesome policing areas. He said the station recorded high incidents of murder and other contact crimes as well as alarmingly high levels of gender-based violence-related incidents.
According to the quarterly crime statistics released in February for the period October to December 2020, Plessislaer and Durban Central police stations recorded the highest number of murders over a three-month period. Both stations were also in the top 30 police stations with community-reported serious crime.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said there has been an increase in the number of reported contact crimes for the first three months of 2021 in Plessislaer.
“The murder rate was high. We developed an intervention plan to reduce crime. We divided the policing precinct into four operational areas that will help us focus our resources,” Mkhwanazi said.
Police would target Dambuza, KwaPata and Imbali township. Imbali was leading among the areas in terms of crime statistics.
Cele said the additional 60 officers have been deployed, according to crime trends in Inanda and uMlazi.
“Inanda is ranked number one for rape with uMlazi following. uMlazi is ranked third in the country for murder and Inanda fourth. In one category, Plessislaer police station is ranked second in the country,” he said.
Cele said these officers were deployed to fix the situation. He urged officers to bring peace to the area and make life better for the community. The police station recorded 21 cases of GBV murder from April 2020.
“This area does not hesitate to kill women. Three dead bodies were picked up here recently. Criminals don’t just murder women, they also slit their throats. We are dealing with animals here. Deal with them decisively,” Cele said.
He highlighted there was a major alcohol consumption problem in the area. Cele said there were more shebeens than spaza shops, schools and churches put together.
“There are 125 shebeens and 10 bottle stores. There are 135 outlets serving alcohol. This won’t allow you to get a normal community or society,” he said.
Daily News