In a major crime-fighting crackdown, Operation Shanela swept through the Akasia and Pretoria-North policing precincts, resulting in the arrest of 360 suspects for various offenses.
The operation, conducted today (Thursday), continued with a strong focus on seizing unlicensed firearms, apprehending wanted suspects, and enforcing liquor laws.
Captain Johan Van Dyk, spokesperson for the Tshwane District Police, reported that detectives conducted an overnight operation targeting suspects involved in serious crimes such as gender-based violence, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, murder, armed robbery, and rape.
“Tshwane detectives launched the operation with suspect tracing and arrest during the night, which resulted in the arrest of 302 individuals for serious crimes, including, 113 suspects linked to gender-based violence, 60 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, 11 for murder, six for armed robbery, and six for rape.”
He added that two individuals were arrested for drug-related offenses after being found with eight ziplock bags of various substances and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Van Dyk stated that a roadblock in Akasia, combined with tactical deployments, resulted in the detention of 47 undocumented immigrants, who are now undergoing legal processing for deportation.
During the roadblock operation, Van Dyk reported that officers searched 465 individuals and 316 vehicles, testing 15 to verify if they were stolen. This led to the confiscation of one vehicle linked to a crime.
Officers issued 134 AARTO infringement notices, totaling R77,150, for violations of the Road Traffic Act, as enforced by traffic law agencies.
Van Dyk stated that premises and crime hotspots were searched, including liquor establishments, leading to the closure of three for non-compliance with the Liquor Act.
“12 premises and crime hotspots were searched, with 18 liquor establishments inspected, resulting in three closures for non-compliance with the Liquor Act. Officers seized 523,150ml of alcohol from non-compliant establishments and will be destroyed pending legal proceedings,” he said.
He further stated that a suspect was arrested for possessing two unlicensed firearms after failing to provide a lawful explanation for having the weapons.
“The recovered firearms will undergo forensic tests to identify any links to criminal activities while investigations into the suspect's involvement in other offenses continue,” he added.
Pretoria News