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Jhb 'is a safer place'
07/07/2006 13:58 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Serious crime has decreased in Johannesburg with a 5.6% drop in murders, a 9.9% drop in hijackings and an 18.8% decrease in attempted murders during the metro police's Operation Token Days.
"There is a huge mountain of work which has been done and it has contributed tremendously towards making Johannesburg a safer place," Johannesburg Metro Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said on Friday.
He said 3404 people were arrested for serious crimes including robbery, car hijacking, assault, rape, murder and theft in raids on night clubs, restaurants and taverns under Operation Knight Life - one of nine sections into which Operation Token Days was divided.
Of the arrests, 1 500 were of illegal immigrants, he said.
Speeding motorists caught
Operation Token Days began on November 9 2004 and was to have ended in April, but was extended to the end of June to coincide with the end of the financial year, he said.
Nearly three million motorists had been caught speeding on the city's roads under Operation Bumblebee.
This meant at least 70% of the cars on the city's freeways were speeding.
However, Minnaar noted that with two million of the 2 914 514 cars snapped between November 2004 and October 2005, speeding appeared to be on the decrease.
He said 222 955 motorists had been fined for jumping red traffic lights and 30 166 arrested on outstanding warrants of arrest.
Under the visible policing aspect of the project, Operation Jozi, 831 312 vehicles were stopped at roadblocks and 606 614 of these searched.
Metro police arrested 1 473 people for drunken driving.
They issued 9 024 discontinuance notices to minibus taxis and impounded 3 656 unroadworthy taxis as part of Operation Winged Heart, said Minnaar.
When it came to Operation Nude Ants by-law enforcement, 11 682 hawkers were fined, perishable goods (fruit and vegetables) seized from 9 850 street vendors and non-perishable goods from 17 576.
Fines of between R500 and R1 500 for illegal dumping were issued to 1522 people and 90 566 illegal posters impounded, with a R100 fine levied per poster.
Minnaar said 90 485 people were searched during Sisthunya (firearm) operations, but only 90 arrested for contravening the Firearms Act for pointing firearms, shooting them in residential areas and negligence.
- SAPA
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