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The South African Police Service said its members would continue to stamp the authority of the state countrywide when responding to serious and violent crime in anticipation of a busy long weekend.
Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, said through “heightened police visibility and intelligence driven operations, criminals would continue to feel the full wrath of the law.”
SAPS said as a result of Operation Shanela, launched in May, 145 812 suspects were arrested countrywide for various crimes ranging from murder to assault.
Among the successes noted just this week, was the “take down” of four cash-in-transit robbery suspects who died in a shootout with police in Limpopo.
“Police seized one pistol, a rifle and some of the stolen money.”
General Mosikili said in Gauteng, a multidisciplinary team led by the Anti-Kidnapping Task Team, rescued an 18-year-old Wits University student from a kidnapping syndicate that had been targeting the LGBTQI+ community on a dating app.
She said the syndicate is also linked to a number of kidnappings where ransom demands were being made.
Police in the Northern Cape, meanwhile arrested 867 illegal miners in the Namaqua region earlier this week.
“We are entering a very busy period of the year and on the side of the police we are also intensifying our crime combatting efforts,” said General Mosikili.
“All these successes would not have been possible without the support and assistance of our key stakeholders in the fight against crime such as business sector, private security and our communities. This long weekend we are heightening visibility to ensure the safety and security of all,” she said.
