The police in the Free State arrested a total of 523 people for various crimes during their weekly crime prevention operations from 11 to 18 June 2023.
These 523 people found themselves on the wrong side of the law for various crimes, including property-related crimes, contact crimes and other serious crimes.
During the operations, the police also concentrated on crimes depending on police actions.
A total of three persons were arrested for murder, seven for attempted murder, five for house robbery, one for business robbery, 83 for assault with the intent to inflict serious bodily harm and 47 for common assault.
In a bid to remove dangerous weapons from the streets, 29 people were arrested for being in possession of a dangerous weapons. The weapons seized include, knives, which are the most prevalent weapons used during murders in the province.
The police also visited 225 licenced liquor outlets, where compliance inspections have been conducted. Police also visited 777 farms to ensure labour law compliance, which also increased visibility in rural areas.
A total of 92 spaza shops were visited to ensure labour law compliance.
During visits to 34 second-hand dealers, five notices were issued.
In the fight against the social ills of drug-related crimes, the police arrested 50 people for drug-related crimes. During these operations all over the province, 34 people were also arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police arrested 45 undocumented persons and 27 wanted suspects.
Throughout the province, the police searched 172 premises, 4497 persons and 1773 vehicles during crime prevention operations, which included roadblocks and normal routine crime prevention operations.
