Overall Friday Operation yields success in Nkomazi
"We will make sure that we even enter the no-go-areas, raid all places that are dealing with drugs and arrest all the dealers."
NKOMAZI – At least 33 people were arrested between April 22 and 23 in an Overall Friday Operation that took place in Nkomazi.
Nine of these suspects were arrested for the possession of illegal firearms, eleven for drinking in public, three for drunk driving and two for dealing with dagga. Eight illegal immigrants were also arrested.
The nine suspects who were arrested for illegal possession of firearms were allegedly planning to rob shops in the Nkomazi area on Saturday. The suspects might be linked to robberies that took place in Nkomazi last month.
Three firearms were confiscated from them.
The Overall Friday Operation is an initiative by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison aimed at dealing with crime in problematic areas.
The operation consists of all different SAPS units, traffic officers from the province and municipalities, the South African National Defence Force, Department of Home Affairs, South African Revenue Services and other members of the Security Cluster.
The operation started with a road block in Kaapmuiden on the N4 Road near the Toll Plaza and ended with searching of wanted suspects, raiding of houses dealing with dagga (following leads), stop and searches, and raiding of taverns.
Meanwhile, 26 fines were issued in the roadblock at Kaapmuiden to motorists for different violations varying from driving without proper documentation, driving without proper documentation and driving a vehicle with defects such as worn out tyres, broken windscreen and other defects.
Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Mr Vusi Shongwe, who was also part of the operation, praised the team for the successes.
He mentioned that crime would eventually be decreased if such efforts were shown in all areas even without the Overall Friday Operation.
“It is evident that this kind of operation is very effective in crime prevention, I am told that there was no serious crime reported in Nkomazi area since it started. This is the kind of approach we have to use in dealing with areas especially that are known to be problematic when it comes to crime.
“This is only the beginning; criminals must be warned as we have improved our approach. We will make sure that we even enter the no-go-areas, raid all places that are dealing with drugs and arrest all the dealers. With the assistance of Crime Intelligence, we will win this battle, and completely eradicate crime in our beautiful province,” said Shongwe.
He added that communities must join hands with the police and expose those who are involved in crime.
“We are aware that Nkomazi is one of the areas where the selling of dagga is prevalent. Communities must not keep quiet when they see such activities happening,” he concluded.
