More than 2 000 arrested in week-long operation

Ongoing police operations in KZN have resulted in the recovery of 89 firearms with 2 252 arrests made for crimes ranging from murder and attempted murder to robberies.

These operations were conducted over seven days from 13 to 20 March.

KZN police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that police successfully recovered 68 pistols, 10 rifles, four shotguns, and seven homemade firearms.

“We also seized 1 418 rounds of ammunition of various calibre and arrested 34 suspects for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

“Over 2 500 tablets of an assortment of drugs, including matrix, heroin and ecstasy were recovered during the operations,” he said.

“Of the arrested suspects, 757 of them were nabbed for contact crimes, with 47 put behind bars in connection with cases of murder, 32 arrested in relation to cases of attempted murder and 49 suspects nabbed for robberies with aggravating circumstances, house and business robberies as well as carjacking.

“On cases perpetrated against women and children, 64 suspects were busted for rape and 49 were arrested as a result of the transgression of the Domestic Violence Act.”

KZN Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi commended the officers for the successful execution of the provincial operations, amid added responsibilities of increased police visibility for the planned protest on Monday.

“We had a busy week, but dedicated police officers ensured that criminals felt their presence on the streets. We have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of residents and we shall continue to operationalise intelligence and infiltrate crime-ridden areas to remove all criminal elements from our communities,” he said.

HAVE YOUR SAY