Week-long Safer Festive Season Operations leads to 1 974 arrests
The operations were held across the province from 16 to 22 November.
POLOKWANE – Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe says the Safer Festive Season Operations have already yielded positive results.
The operations were conducted from 16 to 22 November across the province and will be up and running until the end of January 2021.
Ngoepe said 1 974 suspects, between the ages of 18 and 46, were arrested during the recent operations.
“They were arrested for crimes such as murder, attempted murder, business and house robberies, rapes and sexual assault, burglaries, assaults and the possession of unlicensed firearms,” his statement read.
Ngoepe said the operations comprised of members from various police units such as the Crime Prevention, K9, Crime Intelligence, Border Policing, Limpopo Highway Patrol Team (LHP), the Detectives Endangered Species Unit and the Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit(VCIU).
“The operations were characterised by intensive roadblocks and patrols, tracing of wanted suspects, stop-and-searches, visible policing at shopping centres, and operations and patrols at all the border posts and tourist destinations,” he explained.
Among other things, 14 illegal firearms, two rifles and ammunition were recovered.
“Other items that were confiscated include seven cars, 12 cellphones, cash, illicit cigarettes, 51 dangerous weapons, 12 008g of dagga, 17 dagga plants, 2gr of nyaope, 76 knives and liquor. Moreover, 2 047 fines were issued for contravention of the Road Traffic Act.”
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Nneke Ledwaba said it is the duty of the police to ensure that all citizens of this province and our visitors, feel safe and secure.
“We must make sure that our communities are proactively and fully participative in order for us to be a step ahead of the criminals,” said Ledwaba.
All the arrested suspects will appear in their respective magistrate’s courts soon.
