More than 800 arrested during Operation New Dawn

Date: 27 June 2019 By: 

In a concerted effort by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo to deal with the surge in crime in the province, 866 suspects were arrested as part of Operation New Dawn. The operation took place from 17 to 25 June, covering all clusters.

Various police units from provincial, cluster and station level took part, including members of Crime Intelligence, Crime Prevention, the detectives, the Public Order Police Unit, K9 Unit and the Tactical Response Team (TRT). “These simultaneous operations are aimed at stabilizing and normalizing the crime-infested areas, through roadblocks, stop and searches, tracing of wanted suspects and raiding of unlicensed businesses, including liquor outlets,” said Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe, provincial police spokesperson on Tuesday.

The suspects were arrested for various crimes, including murder, attempted murder, business and house robbery, armed robbery, burglary residential and business, rape, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, possession of drugs and suspected stolen property, contravention of the Immigration Act to driving under the influence of liquor and operating unlicensed liquor outlets.

During these operations, the police, among other things, issued 1001 traffic fines, closed eight shebeens and confiscated five cars, computers, 27 knives, 10 firearms, cash amounts, televisions, cellphones and drugs. “The origin of the recovered firearms and other items will still be determined through the ongoing police investigations. The suspects arrested during this operation will appear before various Magistrate Courts around the province,” said Ngoepe.

The acting provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, expressed his appreciation over the arrests and commended the SAPS members who participated in these operations for their excellent job.

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Operation New Dawn was aimed at stabilizing and normalizing the crime-infested areas, through roadblocks, stop and searches, tracing of wanted suspects and raiding of unlicensed businesses, including liquor outlets. Photo: Limpopo SAPS.