Police step up patrols during festive season |09 December 2017

The police have since Thursday evening increased their presence on the streets in and around town in a bid to deter criminals and other activities that are a threat to public safety.

They have been putting up road blocks and stopping vehicles to ensure drivers are complying with traffic regulations, that they are not consuming alcohol while behind the wheel, that they are not drunk and a threat to public safety.

In the districts and communities, the police are also increasing their patrols to deter criminals and minimise criminal activities.

These operations include increased visibility, road policing, regular vehicle and foot patrols, roadblocks, cordon and search operations and the tracing of wanted suspects.

The police already had the commitment of various critical stakeholders to ensure a safe and secure festive season for all our citizens and visitors during this period.

To achieve these objectives there are multiple intelligence-driven and high visibility operations which have already started.

The festive season is a time when most people take time off work to relax and spend time with their families. Unfortunately, it is also during this time that opportunistic criminals may prey on unsuspecting victims and accidents on our roads increase alarmingly.

In a meeting with station commanders and senior officers earlier on Thursday to unveil an operation plan which the police have been working on for weeks, Commissioner Kishnan Labonte thanked the officers for their commitment in producing the plan and has called on them to show the same commitment in making it work effectively.

He has called on the officers to go back to their books and apply different ways to detect drunk driving if they need to react promptly when crime and theft alerts are raised.

ASP Antoine Denousse from the traffic section of the police has warned drivers that they will be arrested and detained if they are caught breaching the law.

The special policing will go on until January 7, 2018 but Commissioner Labonte said it can always be extended depending on the situation on the ground.