Joburg's metro police department has led its colleagues from across the country, winning the Service Excellence Award. Individual officers have also been recognised.

Director David Tembe receives the trophy from Minister Jeff Radebe on behalf of the JMPD

THEY are always in the firing line and duty comes first, even on their days off. But Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) finally got rewarded for last year's hard work, when they walked off with most of the spoils at an awards ceremony in Bloemfontein.

During a gala event hosted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the department received the Service Excellence Award for reducing road fatalities over the past year. And at the same event, on 21 May, JMPD officers Samuel Felix and Dennis Busch were awarded for bravery and innovation, respectively.

The Service Excellence Award specifically recognised the drop in road fatalities over what are historically unsafe periods on the road - the festive season and Easter weekend.

"We reduced road fatalities in December by 20 percent and by 71 percent over the Easter weekend," confirms the JMPD director, David Tembe. This means an overall reduction of 15 percent in road fatalities over the last nine months.

Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe handed the award to Tembe in acknowledgement of the JMPD's role in making Johannesburg safer.

The awards ceremony was the first time municipal traffic enforcement departments were recognised for their efforts; it will now take place annually.

Individual efforts
The outstanding work of individuals was also recognised. And again the Johannesburg officers stood out among the 224 municipalities, metros and traffic enforcement agencies that attended.

Director David Tembe of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department with Jeff Radebe, Minister of Transport at the awards ceremony

Busch received the most innovative award for the high speed unit that he developed. This is the first unit of its kind in the country, where speeding motorists are immediately apprehended.

The squad consists of 24 officers skilled in high-speed and defensive driving. Offenders are chased and arrested on the spot, and immediately charged on a docket. The squad made 859 arrests in the year to 31 March 2008.

For his bravery, Felix received the most heroic award. He had disarmed a fellow police officer who was attempting to commit suicide with his handgun. The officer was swinging the handgun around dangerously and Felix was at risk of being gunned down himself.

The man's wife pleaded with Felix to stop her husband and, despite the danger to himself, Felix tackled the officer and disarmed him.

Felix is no stranger to danger - his name should also be mentioned in connection with a recent Cash and Carry robbery. Arriving first on the scene, he successfully stopped the crime through his swift action. Three suspects were arrested immediately, and another four later in Soweto. A number of AK47s were also recovered.

Even on his days off, Felix is called to duty - although officers carry their weapons at all times and should be ready to take immediate action should this be necessary. "JMPD officers are never off duty," says Tembe.

On the day in question, Felix was with his family in the car when they heard screams from a nearby house. A woman was being held-up by two armed robbers.

Felix approached the house and shouted a warning to the criminals, who released the woman and tried to escape. A gun battle followed, with Felix wounding one of the suspects, who managed to run away. Felix killed the other suspect, but only after taking a bullet in the leg himself.

Later, using a Morpho Touche device, the JMPD was able to pin these criminals to other crimes.

Roadblocks and technology
The Morpho Touche is used extensively at roadblocks and has helped in the arrests of 21 murder suspects in the last nine months. Over that time, the metro police has increased the number of roadblocks it holds from 87 to 247. It has also conducted a staggering 5 375 roadside checks, compared to the 500-plus of the previous year.

Another 89 road blocks in the same period focussed specifically on driving under the influence of alcohol, leading to almost 4 000 arrests. The highest incidences of drunken driving were in the 20- to 30-year-old age group, with almost 1 500 people arrested.

Roadblocks are often conducted in co-operation with the Ekurhuleni police department, the South African Police Service and the Gau-Trans traffic service.

"We have forged very good working relationships with these groups."

The JMPD is taking a no-nonsense approach to traffic offences, irrespective of the severity of the offence. "If we see you, we arrest you. People pay no attention to fines."

It has made 1 000 arrests for drinking in public and almost 400 for urinating in public in the last nine months alone. And over 600 Joburgers realised that reckless and negligent driving will not be tolerated.

The department watches its statistics closely and deploys staff accordingly. Statistics are not only a valuable tool in law enforcement planning, but also give a fascinating - though hardly surprising - insight into human behaviour.

For obvious reasons, the JMPD gets busier as the weekend approaches, with traffic contraventions and incidences of crime increasing fourfold on Fridays and Saturdays. And the lawless are at their most active during the early hours of the evening, from 6pm to about 10pm. Deployment, therefore, takes place "according to our statistics".

But the amount of roadblocks initiated will make no difference if officers are not committed to the cause. This is true even for top management. "I attribute our success to the high morals and dedication of JMPD staff, and to good leadership," Tembe says.

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