Eastern Cape police are gearing up for the Easter weekend, by increasing visibility and deployments.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Marinda Mills, said the Easter operational plan comes on the back of a successful round weekend operations under the Back to Basics banner.
She said police members throughout the province were engaged in roadblocks, following up information and leads, tracing wanted suspects and conducting hotspot patrols.
Mills said this resulted in the arrest of a total of 994 suspects for serious crimes and the recovery of 29 firearms.
“It is a key SAPS priority to reduce the number of illegal firearms as criminals use these illegal weapons to rob, attack and kill innocent people. The number of confiscated firearms display our resolve to ensure that illegal firearms are removed from the hands of criminals,” Mills said.
“The firearms will be sent for ballistic tests to ascertain whether they have been used earlier in the commission of crime,” she said.
"As we are approaching the Easter holidays, our police members will intensify their presence and these operations and police deployments will continue throughout the Province to ensure the safety of our communities. We will remain focused on arresting those who are on the wrong side of the law, "said the acting Provincial Commissioner of the Eastern Cape, Major-General Andre Swart.
