PORT ELIZABETH – Safer Festive Season operations commenced in October 2020 until the end of January 2021 under the theme ‘Tight Grip’. These operations were intended to ensure the safety of our communities during this period. Throughout the festive season there were high police visibility in hotspot areas.
As the Festive Season Operations draw to a close this weekend, a multi-disciplinary, joint operation including SAPS, law enforcement officers from the metro police, metro security and liquor board officers conducted various operations throughout the metro. Scrap yards, second hand goods stores and liquor outlets were the focus areas. The Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Cllr Nqaba Bhanga and some of his managers joined the Acting Mount Road Cluster Commander, Brig Thandiswa Kupiso on the operations.
Scrap metal dealerships in Kleinskool and Deal Party as well as second hand goods stores in Sidwell were inspected to ensure compliance. Twelve taverns were also visited with no confiscations or arrests.
A total of 17 kg of aluminium wire was confiscated from a scrapyard in Deal Party. Two rings alleged to have been taken in a house robbery in Kabega Park in January 2021 were seized from a second hand shop in Sidwell.
The Acting Mount Road Cluster Commander, Brigadier Thandsiwa Kupiso reiterated that that a zero tolerance approach was adopted during this festive season. “Our men and women in blue with other law enforcement agencies tightened the grip on criminals during this festive season. These multi-disciplinary operations will continue beyond the festive period. I also commend those citizens who have voluntarily handed in their unwanted firearms, ammunition or parts thereof during the Firearm Amnesty period. I urge those who have not done so, to do so as there are only two days left until 31 January 2021 to surrender them to the police,’ added Brig Kupiso.

Source: South African Police Service