Police operations in various parts of the province have seen a total number of 8 809 suspects behind bars for various crimes including murder, attempted murder, all kinds of robberies, rape, dealing in drugs as well as possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition in a period from 01-30 April 2023.
Efforts to bring justice to the victims of crimes yielded desired results when 185 suspects were arrested in connection with cases of murder and 112 more people were busted for attempted murder.
One hundred and two (102) suspects were cornered and nabbed for business and house robberies, whereas a total number of 205 suspects were caught for rape. Police also busted 43 suspects for their alleged involvement in cases of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
One thousand and fifty eight (1058) suspects were brought before the courts of law in connection with cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Relentless quests to rid our communities of illegal firearms have also paid off when police recovered a total of 325 firearms, inclusive of 26 rifles, 20 shotguns and 29 homemade firearms.
Two thousand, three hundred and seventy five (2 375) rounds of ammunition were also seized from the arrested suspects.
The intensified war against drugs also saw huge amounts of cocaine, mandrax, heroine and crystal meth being confiscated during the operations.
The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has assured residents of the province that targeted, intelligence-led operations will continue and police will enforce the law so much that those involved in criminal activities will be out of a breathing space.
“Police are determined to bring stability, peace and order in our province. No amount of anarchy will be tolerated and no self-proclaimed gang or crime kingpin will have a luxury of space to torment and terrorise law-abiding citizens. We encourage our policemen and policewomen to continue safeguarding the citizens without fear and narrow the space for criminals. We also appeal to community members to continue providing us with useful tip-offs that contribute to our intelligence capacity and lead to the arrest of dangerous suspects”, said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi
