Police across the eight districts in the Eastern Cape are making positive strides in clamping down on criminals, with 479 suspects arrested in a week for serious crimes.
The crimes ranged from murder to possession of illicit drugs and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
In the Sarah Baartman district, detectives arrested a 38-year-old man in Bedford on Thursday last week for the murder of a farm manager.
The man also allegedly stole cellphones and a vehicle, which was recovered abandoned in Somerset East a few hours after the incident.
Police also found two firearms inside the abandoned vehicle.
Several intelligence-driven operations were also conducted, with notable successes in the OR Tambo and Nelson Mandela Bay districts.
Eleven unlicensed firearms with ammunition were confiscated in the OR Tambo district, while in Nelson Mandela Bay eight firearms were confiscated.
Two automatic rifles (AK-47 and R5) were among the firearms found in areas including s Bityi, Madeira, Mthontsasa, Lusikisiki and Mthatha in the OR Tambo district.
“The suspects have appeared in court,” police spokesperson W/O Majola Nkohli said.
“All the confiscated firearms will be sent to ballistics for analysis.”
In other operations in the province, 136,720l of alcoholic beverages was confiscated from four unlicensed liquor outlets.
Police also seized 141,683kg of dagga, 4.12g of cocaine, and 871g of tik. The estimated value of the drugs seized is more than R425m.
Provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nomthetheleli Mene said the police would continue to crack the whip on criminals and “we remain committed to decisively deal with crime and criminals within this province”.
“With more boots on the ground, we are determined to reduce the serious and violent crimes plaguing our society.
“With the implementation of Operation Shanela which was kick-started in the province this week, our main focus will be on targeting identified crime hotspot areas.
“Criminals have a lot to worry about as we will be in their faces.”
HeraldLIVE