Operation Shanela is yielding the desired results, says National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Fannie Masemola.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg on Thursday, Masemola said that since the last briefing four weeks ago, 85 000 more suspects had been arrested for various crimes, ranging from murder to extortion.
“This brings the total number of suspects arrested since the launch of Operation Shanela to 850 375. During this period, 824 illegal and unlicensed firearms with more than 17 282 rounds of ammunition were seized,” said Masemola.
He said the operations were bearing fruit.
“We are continuously implementing an all hands-on-deck-approach – we are indeed leaving no one behind. It is a joint effort, working closely with other law enforcement agencies, other government departments, the business sector, our community police forum structures and private security,” he said
“Through community participation and through tip-offs … criminals are feeling the heat. There is no longer much … space for criminals in all provinces including KZN, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape to operate – because that space has been squeezed!”
He said the takedowns and arrests of wanted suspects was their operatives sending a firm and stern warning to all criminals, their friends and accomplices: police were hitting the ground running and on high alert. The men and women in blue would continue to sniff out criminals from every corner of the country.
“We do believe that we are registering progress in destabilising the work of organised crime syndicates as well as ruthless criminals in all forms and shapes.”
Masemola said the SAPS’s focus and efforts were being intensified to put an end to serious and violent crime.
He said that in the past week, several criminals were shot dead during confrontations with police in various provinces.
“I repeat: police have a mandate to protect communities and arrest those who are terrorising law-abiding citizens. When our police officers trace these often heavily armed and dangerous criminals, they will not hesitate to use force proportional to the threat,” he said.
In Gauteng in the past week, eight criminals were shot dead during operations led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DCPI). Six of them were cash-in-transit robbers who had robbed a cash van of an undisclosed amount of money in Germiston.
An AK47 and four pistols were found in their possession.
In Brackendowns, east of Johannesburg, two other criminals were also shot dead during a confrontation with the Hawks. The pair were linked to aggravated robberies in and around Gauteng.
In Ekurhuleni, a criminal was also shot and killed in a DPCI-led operation while police were following up on information of a person in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
In KwaZulu-Natal, three suspects were also fatally wounded during a confrontation with police in the past twenty-four hours. The suspects were wanted for their involvement in serious and violent crimes in and around the province.
Masemola said they continued to rid the streets of drugs that destroyed families, especially young people who were the future leaders.
“This is why we continue to intensify our operations to detect and remove these drugs off our streets. In Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape, R30 million worth of cannabis and cannabis-related products were seized during a DPCI-led operation this week,” he said.
Five suspects – two South Africans and three foreign nationals – have been arrested. In the past month, an R80m drug lab was shut in Douglasdale, Johannesburg. In the same operation, police seized mandrax tablets with a street value of R10m. Two foreign nationals have appeared in court.
Seven people, among them three children, were killed execution-style in Highflats in KZN on Wednesday.
Police management, including Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and political leaders have been visiting the family. Masemola earlier said that more boots should be on the ground to bring the perpetrators to book.
The Star
ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za