FREE STATE – Altogether 1 360 suspects were arrested in the Free State during a week-long crime crackdown as police and other law-enforcement agencies intensified operations across the province.

The arrests formed part of Operation Shanela II, a multidisciplinary operation aimed at disrupting criminal activity through intelligence-driven operations, community tip-offs, high-visibility patrols and detective-led tracing operations.

According to the Free State police, operations were conducted across all five districts.

The police, working with the departments of Employment and Labour and Home Affairs, as well as the police’s Firearms, Liquor and Second-Hand Goods (Flash) units, also carried out a range of compliance inspections. A total of 724 premises were searched, while 2 831 farms were visited. Police inspected 164 second-hand goods dealers, with 10 administrative fines issued. In addition, 111 formal and informal businesses were inspected, resulting in the arrest of 83 undocumented foreign nationals for alleged contraventions of the Immigration Act.

A major illicit cigarette seizure was made at a residence in Welkom, where cigarettes with an estimated street value of R6 million were confiscated. One foreign national was arrested. Drug enforcement operations resulted in 79 arrests for the alleged possession and dealing of illegal substances such as Mandrax, dagga, crystal meth, nyaope and Cat.

Violent crime and gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) also remained a major focus of the operation. A total of 233 suspects were arrested in connection with serious violent crimes, including 55 for rape, 33 for attempted murder and 16 for murder.

Road safety was also targeted through multidisciplinary roadblocks conducted with provincial traffic officials. Police said 511 motorists were issued fines for various contraventions of the National Road Traffic Act, while 54 drivers were arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.