Police crackdown on crime
POLOKWANE – Police in Limpopo have arrested one thousand, three hundred and twenty-five (1325) suspects aged between 19 and 58 during ongoing weekly joint-operations that were conducted simultaneously across the province from 18 September until 26 September 2022.
The joint operations saw police clamping down on criminals involved in various offences such as murder, robberies, carjacking, assaults, rape, possession of unlicensed firearms, suspected stolen property, dangerous weapons, dealing in drugs and illicit cigarettes, burglaries and undocumented foreign nations for contravening the Immigration Act.
Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Limpopo Provincial Police Spokesperson, said during the operations, two suspects aged 23 and 32 were arrested for transporting illicit cigarettes in the Polokwane Central Business District (CBD) on Saturday 24 September 2022. Police confiscated 29 cartoons of illicit Remington Gold cigarettes.
Ledwaba added that meanwhile, a 25-year-old suspect was arrested for dealing in drugs at Ivy Park outside Polokwane on Sunday 25 September 2022 at about 17:45.
Ledwaba informed that police confiscated 100 sachets of Crystal Meth and cash amount of money all to the estimated street value R300000.
“In the same operation, a 36 year-old foreign national was arrested in Ster Park after he was found in possession of Cat and Crystal Meth drugs to the street value of R20 000. Police also recovered eight suspected stolen motor vehicles during the operations. Some of the vehicles were reported hijacked or stolen in other provinces. During one of the operation conducted on Sunday, 25 September 2022, police spotted a suspicious Toyota Hilux Legend 50 along the R101 Road, North of Mokopane Town. The vehicle was tactically pulled over the road when police circulated it, they discovered that it was reported stolen in Sunnyside, Gauteng Province. The 25 year-old driver was arrested. During the operations, police also confiscated two firearms, 23 dangerous weapons, 33 knives, drugs including Crystal Meth, Cat, Nyaope, grams of dagga, liquor and illicit cigarettes. In addition, a total of 1303 fines were issued and 39 shebeens closed,” informed Ledwaba.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe commended the various police units actively involved during the operations for their relentless efforts to combat crime in the province.
“We still urge community members to continue to work with us in fighting against crime and squeezing the operating space for criminals,” said Hadebe.
Some of the arrested suspects have started to appear before various Magistrate’s Court across the province.
