DURBAN - The public has been warned against attempting to breach security at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit taking place in Durban.
This warning comes after three people were arrested for trying to enter the summit where Southern African heads of state gathered to discuss the region's industrialisation.
Two Congolese nationals tried to enter with stolen or fake accreditation, while a Zimbabwean national tried to enter under the disguise of a performing artist.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe's message was stern.
"As the net joints do not test the resolve of the state. We have proven a number of times that we will act decisively when people step out of line. Indeed, we have arrested three suspects."
She emphasised that if one does not have valid accreditation nor are they not authorised to be in the vicinity of the Durban ICC, they must stay away
"There are strict control measures in place, strict security points and we are leaving nothing to chance. The majority of the police officers that we have pulled into this event and many other major events are actually specialised units."
She cautioned against assumptions that those deployed at the Summit have been pulled out of police stations and maintained that capacity remains the same
"The majority of the police officers at the stations are there to ensure that they attend and respond to day-to-day crime issues and incidents and so on. The ones that have been brought together during events such as these ones are from the specialised units. They are called as and when there is a need for them to actually secure these particular events and so on. So day to day policing continues. Operation Chanel continues," she said.