By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
More than 1850 suspects were arrested for various crimes during Operation Shanela. Out of 1850 suspects arrested, 1688 were wanted.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Colonel Cherelle Ehlers said the wanted suspects were arrested by detectives during tracing operations in connection with serious crimes such as business robbery, murder, rape, assault GBH, and illegal possession of firearms.
Ehlers said during police actions, arrests were executed in connection with illegal possession of a firearm, dealing in drugs, murder, attempted murder, rape, assault GBH, burglary, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“A total of 5941 persons and 2798 vehicles were stopped and searched. Four unlicensed liquor outlets were closed and a significant amount of alcohol was confiscated. A considerable amount of drugs and cash, believed to be the proceeds of crime and copper cable, was also seized.
“In support of Child Protection Week, several schools in the province were visited, where over 6000 learners were reached. Priority issues such as bullying, sexual offences, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and school discipline were addressed,” she said.
Ehlers further said Operation Shanela will continue with disruptive actions during the next week to ensure that priority crimes are addressed and perpetrators removed from the streets. She added that multi-disciplinary teams in all five districts executed Operation Shanela’s disruptive actions from 3 until 9 June 2024, with the focus on priority crimes, including contact crimes, property related crimes, drug related crimes and illegal firearms.
“These actions included the searching of premises, stop and search actions, high visibility patrols, compliance inspections, roadblocks and vehicle check points.
The Guardian 