Operation Gijima to target violent crimes

Continued incidents of cash-in-transit and business robbery and hijacking in the province have compelled Police to launch Operation Gijima, a strategy aimed at strengthening the service when dealing with these types of crime, on Friday.
Provincial Police Commissioner Nneke Ledwaba, addressing the media at the launch of the plan at the premises of the Saps air wing in Polokwane, said that the operation will serve as tactic designed to counter the seemingly rampant cash-in-transit robberies and other violent crimes that prevailed in some parts of Limpopo lately.
Ledwaba referred to recent incidents including the blowing up of a security vehicle on the R71 between Tzaneen and Gravelotte where almost half of the vehicle was destroyed and money scattered across the scene. He also cited a recent shoot-out between Police and several alleged robbery suspects who were intercepted by the Police at Ga-Maja outside Lebowakgomo. One suspect was fatally wounded.
“People must, however, take note that the majority of robberies were thwarted by our members and the culprits got arrested. In some of these incidents members of the Police are often capable of gaining upper ground and this is manifested by the number of arrests that were made, especially at the time when these heists were in progress,” Ledwaba said.
Attending the launch were Deputy Provincial Commissioner responsible for policing Jan Scheepers, Deputy Provincial Commissioner responsible for crime detection Bafana Linda and members of the Tactical Response Team (TRT), K9 Unit, Mounted Police, Public Order Police (Pops) and the air wing, among others.
Operation Gijima will be implemented with immediate effect and Ledwaba mentioned that all units will be responsible to patrol all routes, shopping malls and other places of interest throughout the province. Criminals will not be able to come to Limpopo from anywhere and think they will return safe. “We will obviously work hand-in-hand with our colleagues in neighbouring provinces to make sure criminals do not have any escape route,” Ledwaba said in a message to offenders.
A Special Dedicated Team has been established as part of Operation Gijima to investigate all cases as they occur and proper collaboration between Police and security companies will be sustained in an effort to limit attacks on money vans.

Story: RC Myburgh
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