He said the municipality will be removing all the homeless people from some of the streets.
In their bid to achieve this, the city plans to work with stakeholders, who include the chapter nine institutions, the criminal justice system and civic society.
"We can reclaim the city. We have capacity and capability to reclaim the city. With you officers coming on board, we are reclaiming our strength. Let us make sure that criminals do not have any space to breathe in the city. We must squeeze them and arrest them as law dictates," said Kaunda.
He said officials should also desist from spending time on social media while on duty.
"Reduce unnecessary time on phone calls when you are on duty. I don't want a situation where I see you hogging a cellphone while people are in need of law enforcement, people are tired of being under siege from pick-pockets," said Kaunda.
He said as the city with a track record of being a major tourism mecca, they had been buoyed by a steady stream of visitors accounting 293 520 visitors and beachgoers, who had flocked into the city in the period between December 5 and 11.
He said while some beaches remained closed, he was hopeful that some will soon be opened, as the city had upped the ante in testing the water samples.
"We test samples up to three times before we open the beaches. It's for this reason that we hope uMhlanga beach will soon be opened," said Kaunda.
TimesLIVE
New bobbies on the beat to boost Durban festive heat
Image: Nqubeko Mbele
eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has urged law enforcement officials to play their part in ensuring that the city is safe during the festive season by clamping down on lawlessness.
He said cops should reject bribery offers by the public, who fall foul of the law during the festive season.
"There will be no reason to look for a drink [bribe from offenders]. We have more drinks here with the salaries that we offer as the metro. You can buy cases with it," said Kaunda.
He was speaking at the city hall on Thursday as he welcomed 200 metro police recruits in time for the holiday season.
Kaunda said he was concerned that some of the inner city streets and bridges had been turned into no-go areas as vagrants and criminals had turned them into their homes.
WATCH | South Africa's new constables excited to start enforcing the law
He said the municipality will be removing all the homeless people from some of the streets.
In their bid to achieve this, the city plans to work with stakeholders, who include the chapter nine institutions, the criminal justice system and civic society.
"We can reclaim the city. We have capacity and capability to reclaim the city. With you officers coming on board, we are reclaiming our strength. Let us make sure that criminals do not have any space to breathe in the city. We must squeeze them and arrest them as law dictates," said Kaunda.
He said officials should also desist from spending time on social media while on duty.
"Reduce unnecessary time on phone calls when you are on duty. I don't want a situation where I see you hogging a cellphone while people are in need of law enforcement, people are tired of being under siege from pick-pockets," said Kaunda.
He said as the city with a track record of being a major tourism mecca, they had been buoyed by a steady stream of visitors accounting 293 520 visitors and beachgoers, who had flocked into the city in the period between December 5 and 11.
He said while some beaches remained closed, he was hopeful that some will soon be opened, as the city had upped the ante in testing the water samples.
"We test samples up to three times before we open the beaches. It's for this reason that we hope uMhlanga beach will soon be opened," said Kaunda.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
Equipping SAPS operational capacity a priority: Masemola
eThekwini to issue weekly updates for repairs to pump stations impacting beaches
Durban gets hot under the collar over closed pools
Opposition parties fume about R71m in bonuses for eThekwini workers
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos