The continuous police operations in the province have resulted in the recovery of eighty-nine (89) firearms and the arrests of 2252 suspects for crimes ranging from murder, attempted murder, and robberies.
In a period of a week from 13-20 March 2023, police successfully recovered sixty-eight (68) pistols, ten (10) rifles, four (4) shotguns, and seven (7) homemade firearms. One thousand four hundred and eighteen (1418) rounds of ammunition of various caliber were also seized. Thirty-four (34) suspects were arrested for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Over 2 500 tablets of an assortment of drugs, including matrix, heroine and ecstasy were also recovered during the operations.
Of the arrested suspects, 757 of them were nabbed for contact crimes. Forty-seven (47) suspects were put behind bars in connection with cases of murder, thirty-two (32) suspects were arrested in relation to cases of attempted murder, and forty-nine (49) suspected robbers were cornered and nabbed for robberies with aggravating circumstances, house and business robberies as well as carjacking. On cases perpetrated against women and children, sixty-four (64) suspects were busted for rape and forty-nine (49) people were also arrested as a result of the transgression of the Domestic Violence Act.
The Provincial Commissioner of KwaZulu-Natal Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has commended the police officers for the successful execution of the provincial operations amid added responsibilities of having to ensure police visibility for the planned protest on Monday. “We had a busy week but dedicated police officers ensured that criminals felt their presence on the streets. The removal of eighty-nine firearms from the wrong hands will definitely prevent some murders which could have been committed using those firearms. We have a responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of residents and we shall continue to operationalise intelligence and infiltrate crime-ridden areas to remove all criminal elements from our communities”, said Lt Gen Mkhwanazi.