By REGINALD KANYANE
17 March 2025- More than 200 suspects were arrested for various crimes across five districts during Operation Shanela. The multi-disciplinary teams inspected numerous liquor outlets for compliance pertaining to their licence conditions.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock said through 524 high visibility vehicle and 1812 patrols and stop and search actions, 3443 vehicles and 7609 persons were stopped and searched at various vehicle check points (VCPs) and roadblocks conducted across the province. Kock said suspects were arrested for an array of crimes, including illegal dealing in liquor, burglaries at residential and business premises, malicious damage to property, stock theft, assaults, robberies, dealing in drugs, and possession of dangerous weapons.
“The police executed numerous actions, which also included the tracing of wanted suspects, compliance inspections conducted at second-hand dealers, liquor premises as well as formal and informal businesses, farms, scrapyards.
“During this period, schools were visited in support of the safer schools’ programme and various community engagements were held involving the Community Policing Forum (CPF), and other community policing structures,” he said.
Kock said during the weekly execution of the operation police confiscated counterfeit goods, dangerous weapons, firearms and ammunition, alcoholic beverages, drugs and cash. He said Operation Shanela is constantly continuing to tighten its grip on crime in the province by securing the arrest of 217 suspects throughout the five districts from 10 until 16 March 2025.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, also actively participated in operations in Kimberley on 14 March 2025. Otola applauded all the force levels in conjunction with other departments in the execution of the operations.
“We thank the public for their continuous efforts in the fight against crime. To strengthen the CPF involvement in all the districts, provincial management handed over four vehicles to district CPFs in an effort to enhance service delivery and strengthen the partnership between SAPS and the community.
“SAPS will leave no one behind in its collective efforts to curb and eradicate crime,” he said.
The Guardian 