The recovering of stolen goods valued at R191 341, the confiscation of drugs with an estimated street value of R146 436, and the arrest of 318 suspects were part of the numerous operational actions and successes over the past week in all five districts of the Northern Cape during Operation Shanela.
This multi-disciplinary, intelligence-driven, high-density crime prevention and combatting operation has an enormous impact in stabilising and fighting crime, said Sgt Molefi Shemane, spokesperson of the Northern Cape police.
Operation Shanela continued last week through vehicle checkpoints; roadblocks; cordon and search operations; high visibility patrols; the tracing of wanted suspects; and compliance inspections at liquor outlets and businesses, as well as second-hand goods dealers.
The following successes were recorded:
- Altogether 26 vehicle control points and ten roadblocks were conducted, during which 1 932 vehicles and 3 818 persons were stopped and searched;
- disruptive actions included police stop and search actions, blue light high visibility patrols and 342 compliance inspections that were conducted at second-hand dealers, scrapyards, shebeens, taverns, liquor outlets and businesses;
- of the 318 suspects arrested, 191 of these were wanted suspects for various crimes ranging from murder, shoplifting, assault on police members, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, attempted murder, common assault, undocumented immigrants, possession of suspected stolen property, theft, copper cable theft, dealing in drugs, possession of drugs, malicious damage to property, residential burglary, business burglary, driving under the influence of drugs, and illegal dealing in liquor;
- a vehicle and a motorcycle believed to be used in the commission of a crime was confiscated, as well as an illegal firearm;
- copper cables, and cash amounting to R21 690,44 believed to be proceeds of crime, were confiscated;
- a suspect was arrested for possession of Telkom copper cables in Deben; and
- at a mine in the Boetsap area, undocumented persons were arrested and detained. Mining equipment and implements were also seized.
- Lt Gen. Koliswa Otola, police provincial commissioner, thanked members for their efforts in the reduction of all categories of crime.
She commended district commissioners, senior management, external law enforcement agencies and stakeholders, including the Community Policing Forum (CPF) structures in leading and participating in the weekly high-density crime prevention operations.
Otola says operations like these discourage criminal activities and reassure communities that their safety is of paramount importance.
