Police and Primedia proving to be a formidable partnership

MEDIA STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONER: SAPS VISIBLE POLICING, COMMISSIONER ARNO LAMOER

Pretoria : 7 April 2008

The South African Police Service’s National Component: Firearms and Liquor Control, operating under the auspices of the Division Visible Policing, has since September last year (2007) until March this year (2008), achieved significant successes by successfully enforcing certain provisions of the Liquor, Second-Hand Goods and Firearms Acts, as stipulated therein.

Various role-players were engaged during these strategic operations, which among others, included Gauteng Liquor Board Inspectors, the Home Affairs Department (Immigration Unit), Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department and the Tshwane Metropolitan City’s By-Law Directorate (which dealt with Waste Management, Fire Safety, Building Control, Environmental Health and Developmental Compliance-related matters).

During the period under review, five hundred and five (505) business and private premises were visited, inspected, and searched. Two hundred and forty-eight (248) kilograms of stolen copper-wire was seized, six hundred and sixty (660 000) litres of liquor confiscated, sixty (60) illegal immigrants and twelve (12) South African nationals arrested for various criminal offences, R437 100 worth of fines issued for non-compliance and seven (7) premises closed in terms of the afore-mentioned applicable Acts. Tshwane City by-law related fines amounting to R404 000 were issued. Six hundred and eighty-eight (688) firearms and eight thousand nine hundred (8900) rounds of ammunition were seized and four (4) stolen vehicles were recovered.

Operation Thiba (prevent / stop) is an intelligence driven, results oriented, strategically planned and on going operation. Effective awareness programmes and road-shows, specifically dealing with non-compliance with the said Acts, have been and are continuously undertaken.

Honest business trading requires total compliance with the law.

Ends.

ENQUIRIES:

Director Phuti Setati