LISTEN | A new sheriff in town: top cop Senzo Mchunu says he's shifting gear

Two months after taking office, the new sheriff in town Senzo Mchunu says police are upping the standard of policing and criminals “must surrender or be made to surrender”.

He was asked about community concerns regarding the fight against crime and criminal dockets piling up.

“It's time to dust off those dockets, to move up a gear,” he said. 

“South Africa is in a new era. We have a country to run and security is key to ensuring the stability and economic growth.”

He said the police were the people mandated to do this. “We are on the job 24 hours a day and we're going to get the job done.”

Listen to Mchunu and Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane:

Mchunu said there will be less talking and the public will judge progress by action taken.

“We are going to do our job the way it needs to be done. I assure you we will do everything to ensure we promote the rule of law, bring order to the country and deal with criminals head-on.

“Criminals, when they see police doing their job, must surrender or they will be made to surrender,” Mchunu said.

He was speaking to journalists in the Eastern Cape after a mass murder at the weekend. Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the state would not fold its arms. “Criminals have declared war, this is war — so many deaths, we will reciprocate.

“We can’t go to funerals again and see people shooting at random — there must be law and order, we are not a banana republic.”

Mchunu and Mabuyane promised to “eliminate” the thugs.

TimesLIVE