Atteridgeville crime sweep nets hundreds of suspects for various crimes
A high-impact crime-combatting initiative, involving multiple law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of 319 suspects for various crimes in Atteridgeville this past weekend.
The operation formed part of the district's ongoing initiative to combat crime with a focus on enhancing visibility, restoring order, and improving community safety.
According to police spokesperson, Captain Johan van Dyk, the operation follows a structured approach that includes roadblocks, stop-and-searches, compliance inspections, and tracing of wanted suspects.
'Its main objective is to make communities safer through co-ordinated, visible policing and partnerships with stakeholders,' Van Dyk said.
Spearheaded by the Acting District Commissioner of Tshwane, Brigadier Moses Dladla, the operation was supported by members of SAPS and comprised different stakeholders. Home Affairs, TMPD, Gauteng Traffic Police, and Community Safety departments assisted.
Van Dyk said the detectives were responsible for the arrest of over 200 suspects for different criminal offences.
'Several suspects were arrested for a variety of criminal offences, which include 251 arrests by detectives, 66 for gender-based violence-related offences, two for murder, five for attempted murder, three for armed robbery and five for rape.'
He said about 31 undocumented foreign nationals were detained, and they are now being processed by immigration authorities.
Van Dyk emphasised that the multidisciplinary operation saw thousands of people, and hundreds of vehicles searched.
'[A total of] 1 210 people and 890 vehicles were searched, which led to the arrest of 18 persons for driving under the influence of alcohol, with 86 traffic infringement notices issued, amounting to R47 050,' he said.
He stated that the weekend operation specifically targeted crime hotspot areas.
'The police patrolled and searched 33 crime hotspots, leading to the arrests of 10 suspects for public drinking, with one suspect arrested for drug possession when four bags containing various drugs and a ball of crystal meth were found in his possession,' said Van Dyk.
Police inspected 33 liquor outlets, leading to the closure of six for non-compliance, and liquor and a gambling machine were confiscated and seized, with two arrests made for illegal gambling.
Dladla commended the teamwork of all participating departments and highlighted the importance of community support.
He encouraged members of the public to continue reporting suspicious activity by contacting Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or by using the My SAPS app.
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