Police in the Northern Cape have yielded significant success as they arrested 261 suspects during a week-long operation.
Operation Shanela, which focuses on illegal firearms and contact crimes such as rape and murder, were executed in problematic areas which included crime intelligence-driven operations, roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, high visibility patrols, compliance inspections, and stop-and-search actions.
The provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Cherelle Ehlers said 261 suspects were arrested for serious crimes, including illegal possession of a firearm, dealing in drugs, dealing in liquor, possession of drugs, aggravating robbery, attempted murder, assault and burglary.
“This includes arresting 91 wanted suspects who were traced and apprehended by detectives. The suspects were arrested after eluding law enforcement for crimes ranging from business robbery, murder, rape and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).
“A total of 7,249 persons and 3,882 vehicles were stopped and searched during the actions. Ten unlicensed liquor outlets were closed during compliance inspections, and hundreds of litres of alcohol were confiscated,” Ehlers said.
Police said the disruptive actions resulted in the confiscation and seizure of copper cable, dangerous weapons, firearms, and a significant amount of drugs including dagga, tik (methamphetamine) and mandrax.
“To address priority crimes, several awareness campaigns were held, including searches at schools, sexual offences awareness, children in conflict with the law, and gender-based violence. Forthcoming disruptive actions will include the execution of Operation Basadi to acknowledge Women’s Month and create awareness regarding crimes against women, children, and vulnerable groups,” Ehlers said.
Police in the province commended members of the public for reporting valuable information that led to the arrest of the perpetrators, and urged residents to continue aiding policing by exposing the criminals.