POTCHEFSTROOM: 21 August 2023 – Operation Shanela, the aggressive policing approach, is showing its effectiveness through crime prevention and combatting operations. Its value and impact to the overall policing strategy is showing after 1 059 suspects were arrested in North West from Thursday, 17 August 2023 until Sunday, 20 August 2023.
The suspects were nabbed for crimes such as 48 for possession of drugs, 42 for dealing in drugs, 27 for illegal dealing in liquor, 90 for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH), 52 for assault common, 31 for burglaries, 25 for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, ten for murder and 209 illegal immigrants were taken in for processing by Department of Home Affairs.
Shanela operations also resulted in the confiscation of 9 firearms, 1 rifle, 2 shotguns, knives, precious metals, tobacco products, a truck, 8 vehicles, a variety of drugs, explosives and liquor.
Furthermore, 5 458 persons and 2506 vehicles were searched, while 199 licensed liquor premises were inspected of which 27 unlicensed liquor premises were closed down.
In one of the operations in Boitekong on Thursday evening, 17 August 2023, a team consisting of Brits Crime Intelligence, Marikana Crime Prevention, Rustenburg K9 and Rustenburg Flying Squad operationalised information received, leading them to an address in Extension 5. The police knocked on the door and the suspect, aged 24, attempted to flee when he saw the police, but was caught. Upon further investigation, the police found two pistols and ammunition in his possession. He was then arrested for possession of a firearm and ammunition without a license.
In another operation conducted in Marikana on Thursday evening, a team consisting of Marikana Crime Prevention, Rustenburg K9 and Rustenburg Flying Squad, conducted an intelligence driven operation at Tlapa Village. The team found copper to the value of R30 000 at an identified house. A 44-year-old suspect could not account for the copper cable, and he was immediately arrested.
At Mogwase another suspect, aged 40, was arrested for allegedly being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition in the early hours of the morning of Friday, 18 August 2023, at his house in Diphale Section in Sefikile Village. The police, consisting of Rustenburg Crime Intelligence and the Rustenburg Mounted Unit, operationalised information received and searched the suspect’s house and found a 9mm pistol, ammunition and three magazines that the suspect could not account for.
Lastly, in another incident conducted by the Provincial Organised Crime Unit on Friday, 19 August 2023, a search warrant was obtained to search a house in Ikageng, Extention 2 in Sarafina. During the search, the police found 21 sticks of Ammonium Nitrate blasting explosives and arrested a 42-year-old man for possession of explosives.
The suspects will appear in various courts throughout the province today.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena expressed his gratitude to all the members including those of other law enforcement agencies and government departments for their participation in the high density operations. He said that communities have so far welcomed the aggressive approach to crime and it is on this score, that operation Shanela will be intensified.