1796 suspects aged between 21 and 59 were arrested for various offences ranging from burglaries, business robberies, possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, possession and dealing in drugs, possession of unlicensed firearms, Contravention of Disaster Management Act to contravention of the Immigration Act, during the simultaneous and parallel joint operations including the Detectives Operation “Thata zonke” and the Tactical Intelligence led Joint operations comprised of several other Police Units such as the Saps Limpopo Highway Patrol Team, POCC, Crime Intelligence, Crime Prevention, Public Order Police Unit, etc.

The operations which were conducted through roadblocks, patrols, stop and searches including tracing of wanted suspects, recovered a variety of items such as 06 x firearms, 05 x suspected stolen motor vehicles, 407 sticks of counterfeit cigarettes, 60 dangerous weapons including 33 knives, 178 grams of dagga, 177 dagga plants, cocaine drugs powder, crystal myth drugs, cat drugs, nyaope drugs, 1 276 505ml of liquor and 1860 fines were issued for the contravention of the Road Traffic Act.

In the Waterberg District, a 51 year old man was arrested for car-hijacking, murder and business robbery during an intelligence driven joint operation that was conducted in the Tinmyne Policing area by the Saps Mokopane, the Crime Intelligence Unit, the Saps Tinmyne, Mahwelereng K9 Unit, Tracker SA and Tshwane Metro Police.

Tinmyne Police received information about a Ford Figo vehicle that was hijacked by three(03) suspects in Tshwane. The suspects allegedly shot the driver who later succumbed to his injuries and drove away with his motor vehicle.

Meanwhile in the Vhembe District, two(02) suspects aged 25 and 27 were arrested by the Thohoyandou Crime intelligence Unit, Thohoyandou TRT and the Vhembe District Detectives during the Tactical joint Operation which was conducted at various places to track down a group of armed suspects involved in a series of business robberies in the District. The suspects were linked to seven (07) cases of business and house robberies.

In one of the incidents, the suspects allegedly stormed at the filling station at about 23:55, midnight armed with different assortment of weapons. They stabbed one of the petrol attendants with a sharp instrument, assaulted his colleagues and robbed them undisclosed amount of money before they fled the scene.

Meanwhile, the Saps Limpopo Highway Patrol Team has arrested sixty-nine (69) suspects for possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, house robberies, possession of illicit cigarettes, Contravention of the Immigration Act, Possession of dagga, possession of drugs and confiscated three(03) cars during their ongoing cleanup operations which they conducted in Mankweng, Mahwelereng, Hlogotlou, Modjadjiskloof, Thabazimbi and in the Sekhukhune District. One of the recovered vehicle in Thabazimbi was linked to the farm attack incident which occurred in the area.

The suspects arrested during these operations are expected to appear before different magistrate’s courts soon across the province.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has praised the sterling work done by the men and women in blue throughout the Province and he further urged for more determination and hard work in ensuring that the citizens of this province are safe.