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KwaZulu-Natal police arrest over 12 000 suspects in July operations

KwaZulu-Natal police arrest over 12 000 suspects in July operations

The Citizen3 days ago
KZN SAPS arrested 12,624 suspects for a range of serious offences during specialised operations and routine policing in July 2025, according to Colonel Robert Netshiunda, SAPS spokesperson.
Of the total arrests, 3 741 suspects were detained for contact crimes. These included 216 arrests for murder and 201 for attempted murder. Police also removed 331 firearms and 16,178 rounds of ammunition of various calibres from circulation.
In cases involving women and children, 193 suspected rapists were arrested, along with 50 for sexual assault, eight for attempted rape, and 17 for other sexual offences. Police also arrested 204 people for violating the Domestic Violence Act and four for child abuse.
A total of 201 suspects were arrested for various robberies, including business and house robberies, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and theft of or from motor vehicles. Assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm accounted for 1,720 arrests, while a further 925 were for common assault.
Road safety was a focus, with 519 motorists arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Drug-related crimes led to 2,108 arrests.
Operations also targeted stock theft, resulting in 48 arrests and the recovery of 70 suspected stolen cattle and 77 goats. Police seized 610 dangerous weapons, including 536 knives and 36 machetes.
'These arrests and seizures demonstrate the SAPS's ongoing commitment to making our communities safer,' said Colonel Netshiunda.
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