Police minister Bheki Cele encouraged visible policing to keep crime in check this holiday season. [Picture: SAPS]
While an expert believes the holiday season brings with it an uptick in crime, Police Minister Bheki Cele believes visible policing may ward off criminals. Public spaces are expected to get busier as people take a break from work after a long year.
Addressing members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) at the Festive Season Inspection Roadshow in Sebokeng, Gauteng, on Tuesday, Cele said streets should be “saturated” with police.
“It is important that this week we saturated, as many people go to many different places, especially malls – you go and take over those malls and you push back those criminals,” he said, adding, “We can’t have criminals running over the people of this province.”
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Positive paranoia
Meanwhile, a security expert has warned that the liberty for South Africans to enjoy the holidays care-free is a thing of the past. Mike Bolhuis, a private investigator, urged the public to be wary at all times, something he called “positive paranoia”.
“We need to be, in South Africa, positively paranoid. You cannot, today, be anywhere without being vigilant of your surroundings. You must constantly be on the lookout for somebody that might be a criminal that would take advantage,” he said.
Bolhuis said vigilance was not limited to one’s physical surroundings, but also applied to the digital space. He warned the public to be cautious of “what you have on your phone, what you shouldn’t have on your phone. Any transaction you do, you have to identify, evaluate and do a risk analysis”.
“You have to go through all these steps today in South Africa to be safe … Crime escalates in South Africa on a daily basis, especially in October, November and December. The days where you think you are safe at any place is [sic] over.”
Mike Bolhuis shared a number of tips on how to stay safe during the holiday season. Watch the full discussion here.
