Roadblocks, random stop searches and other ways lockdown enforcement will be intensified: police minister
Police minister Bheki Cele says that enforcement operations by the South African Police Service (SAPS) will be intensified during South Africa’s national state of disaster.
Presenting his departmental budget speech in a parliamentary meeting on Friday (24 July), Cele said that this will include specific measures such as:
- The conducting of static roadblocks on all national routes and major routes in order to monitor, control & ensure adherence to the regulations;
- The conducting of vehicle checkpoints, on provincial routes, regional routes, rail routes, main streets in order to monitor, control & ensure adherence to the regulations;
- The conducting of high visibility patrols to monitor, control and ensure adherence to the regulations;
- Designated investigation capacity and case management;
- Implementation of objects of policing, in accordance with S 205(3) of the constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
“We would like to call upon communities and all our strategic partners to support the police in the fight against crime moreover during this pandemic,” Cele said in his presentation.
“The current state of policing needs no political gymnastics but it requires cooperation and working together for a common goal.”
Alcohol, cigarettes and masks
Cele said that the SAPS will also ensure that South Africa’s move to stricter lockdown regulations are enforced.
This comes after president Cyril Ramaphosa reintroduced restrictions such as the evening curfew, mandatory wearing of masks, and ban on the sale of alcohol.
Cele said that additional measures will include increased police visibility, roadblocks and patrols ‘where applicable’ in streets, malls and other areas where people ignore social distancing protocols.
“There will also be random stop and search operations to ensure that the prohibition on the transportation of alcohol and tobacco is not being subverted,” he said.
“Throughout all of this, law enforcement officials will be dependent on the cooperation of community members to ensure these operations are handled in the best possible spirit and with the least disruption.”
Cele said that the country’s intelligence services have also been working throughout the pandemic to help track and trace people with the coronavirus.
These services also provide valuable information on trends, patterns & manifestation of Covid-19, both at home and abroad, which has helped inform government’s response, he said.
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