One hundred and fifty police officers were deployed in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro on Sunday. Operation Pamba has officially begun, where these extra resources, coming from Gauteng and Northern Cape, have focused on bringing down the violent crime rates.

Murder in the province decreased by 11%. Despite the decrease in murder in the province, KwaZakhele, Willowvale and New Brighton police stations were the stations with the highest murder cases.

According to the South African Police Service, Nelson Mandela Bay holds the fifth-highest murder rate in the Eastern Cape.

The 150 police officers deployed here are said to be competent in multiple disciplines and they are ready to focus on crimes such as murders, robberies, extortion and gangsterism. They have also come down with their own vehicles and resources.

The South African Police Deputy National Commissioner responsible for crime detection Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya has affirmed that the men and women in blue are here to ensure a safer Metro for all.

“We do not intend to really divulge this kind of information because now you will be telling these criminals that they can go rest for a few months and then they can start again, they are here for a long period and they will be operating until we arrest them actually, we are not gonna leave because it is quiet we are gonna leave because we have arrested them.”

Kwazakhele, New Brighton, Walmer and KwaDwesi are among the areas Operation Pamba will focus on. These areas identified are known problem areas within this Metro.

Eastern Cape Acting Provincial Commissioner Zithulele Dladla says this will relieve the pressure on the current police.

“This means a lot for us as the province of the Eastern Cape that the national commissioner decided to supplement our deployment with the placing from the Head office, we really appreciate it. It will relieve the pressure that we have on these shootings because it will be additional members to what we have as the province.”

District statistics for this Metro are yet to be released. These will depict exactly how many crimes occur in different areas and at which rate.