Pretoria – The Hawks have received 80 branded vehicles to support the work they do in fighting serious organised crimes.
Police Deputy Minister Magdalene Sotyu and National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega handed over the vehicles to the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) in Silverton on Wednesday.
The high powered vehicles, which are for operational purposes, will be used to tackle serious crimes such as ATM bombings, drugs, police killings, taxi violence and cash-in-transit robberies.
Deputy Minister Sotyu said branding will ensure visibility and recognition for the Hawks. It will go a long way to differentiate members of the Hawks from criminals, who masquerade as its members to defraud unsuspecting victims of huge amounts of money and other valuables.
The Hawks are making significant progress in combatting serious crime. Some of the recent notable successes by the unit include a takedown operation in which gold with a total value of R76 million was seized and 40 syndicate members were arrested.
Another operation targeted a high level criminal enterprise involving an international diamond trade. Fifty-one arrests were made.
During a poaching prevention operation involving a syndicate in KwaZulu-Natal’s north coast, two rhino horns worth R2 million were seized and 24 suspects were arrested.
“As part of the new focus and efforts to strengthen service delivery, the Hawks have also embarked on a recruitment drive of key personnel and positions of 14 senior managers and 50 anti-corruption personnel have been advertised. A further 200 posts will also be soon advertised.
“In an effort to enhance the image of the Hawks, a public engagement programme will be implemented, where communities will be engaged on issues of crime, especially serious violent ones and corruption,” Deputy Minister Sotyu said.
This interaction will help to improve the operations of the directorate and its relationship with the public. - SAnews.gov.za
