Police across the eight districts in the Eastern Cape are making positive strides in clamping down on criminals.
A total of 479 suspects were arrested for serious crimes during the week, from 28 May to 3 June 2023.
The operations conducted by the various districts within the Province will ensure that police are gearing towards creating a safer environment for its citizens.
Included in the total number, are suspects arrested for crimes amongst others ranging from murder to possession of illicit drugs as well as illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
In the Sarah Baartman District, detectives arrested a 38-year-old man in Bedford on Thursday, 1 June 2023, for the murder of a farm manager.
The suspect also stole cellphones and a vehicle, which was recovered abandoned in Somerset East, few hours after the incident. Police also recovered two firearms found inside the abandoned vehicle.
Several intelligence driven operations were also conducted with notable successes emanating from two of the priority districts which the OR Tambo and Nelson Mandela Bay districts.
A total of eleven (11) unlicensed firearms with ammunition were confiscated in the OR Tambo district while Nelson Mandela Bay district confiscated eight (08) firearms.
Two automatic rifles (AK-47 and R5) were among the firearms found in areas such as Bityi, Madeira, Mthontsasa, Lusikisiki and Mthatha in the OR Tambo District. The arrested suspects have since appeared in their respective magisterial courts on their respective charges. All the confiscated firearms will be sent to ballistics for analysis.
In other operations that were held throughout the province, 136 720 litres of alcoholic beverages were confiscated from 4 unlicensed liquor outlets.
Police also seized a total of 141 683 kilograms of dagga, 4.12 grams of cocaine and 871.50 grams of tik (crystal meth). The estimated value of the total drugs seized is over R 425 million.
Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Nomthetheleli Mene reiterated that our men and women in blue will continue to crack the whip on criminals and added that, “We remain committed to decisively deal with crime and criminals within this Province. With more boots on the ground, we are determined to reduce the serious and violent crimes that are plaguing our societies. With the implementation of the Operation Shanela which kick-started in the Province this week, our main focus will be on targeting identified crime hot-spot areas. Criminals have a lot to worry about as we will be in their faces.”
