Police continue to clamp down on crime

Joint operations by Limpopo police units continued to yield positive results with 1 750 suspects arrested between 1 and 7 February. The operations were conducted by the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit, Public Order Police Unit, Highway Patrol Team, Stock Theft Unit, detectives, Narcotics Unit and Crime Prevention Unit, with the support of the SANDF and provincial and municipal traffic police.

Among the arrested suspects, 593 were apprehended for violations of the Disaster Management Act, which included the failure to wear masks in a public space, non-compliance with the curfew time and illegal liquor trade.

The operations were conducted through stop and searches, road blocks and the tracing of wanted suspects.

During these operations, a variety of items were recovered, including 14 firearms and six motor vehicles. In total, 893 summonses were issued for the contravention of the Road Traffic Act and six shebeens were closed, while 19 679 persons and 9 519 motor vehicles were searched.

The Provincial Stock Theft Unit arrested a man on 6 February and recovered six suspected stolen cattle on their way to be sold at auction in Gauteng. The recovered livestock were allegedly stolen from a kraal the previous evening in the Seshego area. The trailer which was used to transport the cattle was also confiscated.

In the Vhembe District, two suspects were arrested during operation 'Tight Grip' in Thohoyandou for a series of burglaries and business robberies. In Duthuni village a man was arrested for dealing in and the possession of drugs after 818 sachets of nyaope were found in his possession and confiscated.

At the Beitbridge border post, police recovered a suspected stolen Ford Ranger and arrested three suspects who were also found in possession of the vehicle's fraudulent documents while trying to cross the border post.

The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, welcomed the arrests and encouraged the police to work harder until all citizens can feel safe.

Date:11 February 2021

By: Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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