Operation Shanela hit the streets of Kempton Park on Thursday last week led by Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni.
The operation aimed to restore law and order, ensure public safety and combat criminal activity in Kempton Park by focusing on key areas of concern including drugs, hijackings, robberies, burglaries and theft of motor vehicles.
Stakeholders who joined the operation included the EMPD, Department of Home Affairs, Gauteng Traffic, Gauteng Traffic Wardens, CPF, patrollers and various security companies.
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During the operation, 24 illegal immigrants were arrested, two people for employing undocumented persons, five arrests were made for dealing in drugs and three illegal liquor outlets were shut down.
The National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola said the bold and decisive approach in preventing and combatting crime and intercepting criminals in all forms of shape continues to yield positive results.
“Recent takedowns and arrests of ruthless gangs and brutal syndicates that are hell-bent on terrorising our communities do demonstrate the commitment and dedication of our men and women in blue, who relentlessly refuse to give up this fight against crime,” he said.
He further stated that it was evident with recent successes, that the men and women in blue are tightening their grip on serious and violent crime, thus putting them one step ahead of criminals.
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“We are responding decisively to the war declared by criminals and we remain resolute in our efforts to fight crime and anyone who threatens the safety and security of law-abiding citizens and have thus adopted an aggressive approach in ensuring that we stamp the authority of the state.”
“It is no secret that our men and women in blue are up against heavily armed criminals who have no regard for the rule of law,” he said.
He added that the criminals that the police face daily are armed with various calibres of firearms and are often quick to shoot at members whose mandate is to bring perpetrators to justice by apprehending them.
“At the core of our priorities and on top of our agenda, is the need to constantly heighten and enhance police visibility as a form of deterrent to crime.
“Our ears remain on the ground, and we are well aware that our communities want to see more police officers on the ground,” said Masemola.
“It is encouraging to note that enhancing capacity remains another key priority.
“This is why we have recruited and trained 20 000 police officers in two years, who are already serving and protecting communities at grassroots level of policing.”
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Speaking on gun violence, Masemola said that the level of gun violence in South Africa remains a concern.
“That is why our day-to-day operations remain focused on sniffing out these firearms in every community.
“For the South African Police Service, there is no higher priority than the protection of life and safety within our communities.
“We hear the community voices and share in the concern about our community’s experiences with violent crime.
“Through Operation Shanela we are taking proactive steps to combat this violence head-on with our partners in the justice crime prevention and security cluster,” he said.
Speaking on the success of Operation Shanela, Masemola said that through their high-density operations, which see the provincial commissioner of each province actively participating and leading operations on the ground, they have been able to secure the arrest of 766 237 suspects for various crimes.
These include 161 752 wanted suspects for priority crimes including murder, CIT armed robberies, sexual offences, rape, car hijacking and firearm-related offences.
Kempton Express
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