Metro police set to roar into operation

COP TARGET: Low-slung modified cars, like this one belonging to Alister Daniels, of Parow, will run foul of the metro police

NELSON Mandela Bay’s metro police force launches officially today and to show they mean business, officers will be out in full force pulling over illegally modified cars – and impounding them.

Standard vehicles, including taxis, will not form part of the operation.

While it was reported last month that staff still needed to be trained and uniforms bought, vehicles branded and offices sought, metro police spokesman Khawulezile Mbambe insisted yesterday they would be ready for action today.

He said they wanted to show Bay motorists they were “serious about road safety and will do whatever it takes to make the Friendly City a safe place to drive in”.

“This thing of modified cars . . . is a national problem and officials have already clamped down in places such as Cape Town,” he said.

“It’s now time for us to get tough on these drivers in Nelson Mandela Bay.”

Mbambe said vehicles found to have any modifications would be impounded on the spot.

He could not elaborate on how officers would know what constituted a modification.

Owners would have to then pay R2 500 to have the car released, with a warning to fix the offending modification within a month.

“We have a computer system in place that will keep track of all of this, and we will have a special task team just to follow up on these vehicles,” Mbambe said.

“If, after a month, no changes have been made, we will have no choice but to impound the car again and undo the modifications ourselves.

“Tenders for this process went out a while ago and we have already chosen our preferred bidder. Owners will then also face additional penalties.”

Asked whether they would be targeting other vehicles, including taxis, Mbambe said the focus for now would be modified cars.

He would not comment on whether other operational issues, including office space and police uniforms, had been sorted out.