Ten thousand new police officers to be deployed from Wednesday

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The police department will on Wednesday start its deployment of 10 000 new officers countrywide to counter the sharp increase in the crime rate experienced over the festive season.

This will happen over three days.

The official deployment will take place at a stadium in Paarl in the Western Cape.

Deputy Minister of Police Cassel Mathale leads festive season crackdown on crime

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says the officers are expected to help deal with violent crimes including robberies and kidnappings.

“Our national safer festive operations are in full swing. We’re focusing on aggravated robberies such as your cash-in- transit heists, we are focusing on kidnappings. Kidnappings are giving us a problem, we’re focusing on GBV related crime during the festive season.”

“Along the borders, we’re also focusing and intensifying our efforts to ensure that illegal immigrants that enter or go out of the country, to ensure that they do get arrested. We are ensuring that illicit goods also don’t enter the country,” adds Mathe.

The audio below is the full interview with Brigadier Athlenda Mathe: