Corrupt policemen need to be kicked out of the force, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"We need to clean up cop-tsotsis (criminals) within the force," Mthethwa told reporters at the launch in Johannesburg of the safer festive season campaign.

"Cop-tsotsis, there is no place for you here."

He said that 54 police officers were arrested last month.

The festive season anti-crime campaign, called "Operation Duty Calls" included a cleanup of the Hillbrow area.

"We need Hillbrow and Berea to go back to the beautiful places where we used to live."

The campaign was being implemented all nine provinces. Police had set up a base camp in Joubert Park, Hillbrow for the event's launch.

Earlier on Thursday police raided a hijacked building in Berea and arrested 40 wanted criminals. Mthethwa said these raids would continue and police would be working to eradicate building hijackings in the city.

"These were our streets and we need to take them back from the thugs."

By reducing crime in Gauteng the police would automatically reduce crime in the country, he said.

National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele said that residents needed to be part of the anti-crime campaign and work with police. Police were starting to "gel with the community".

The minister and commissioner were joined by the provincial commissioner of Gauteng, as well as celebrity ambassadors from Shout SA, a non-profit anticrime organisation, Lead SA and Tracker.

Hillbrow residents flocked to the gates of the police base camp to get a glimpse of their favourite celebrities on Thursday morning. They included singer Danny K and Kabelo Mabalane, founders of Shout SA, and Winnie Ntshaba, who plays Khetiwe on the soap opera "Generations".

As Ntshaba walked out people started shouting "Khetiwe" and tried to snap a photo of her with their cellphones as she walked past.