The Gauteng Department of Community Safety urges the law enforcement agencies in the province to continue to deal decisively with all criminal elements. This follows the arrest of scores of suspects in the province for breaking the law over the weekend.
A 36-year old suspect was arrested on Friday evening in Garankuwa, Tshwane for allegedly terrorizing and threatening the community of Brits. He is, among others, being accused of threatening contractors doing developments in the Brits area. His modus operandi was threatening the rightful contractors at various sites by firing shots during the execution of construction work. It is alleged he would also demand money from them for the work rendered.
The Gauteng Traffic Police Special Law Enforcement Unit together with the South African Police Tactical Response Unit based in Tshwane Central and Ekurhuleni effected the arrest. The police recovered an R5 Rifle with 14 live rounds ammunition and one R-5 Magazine. A Shot Gun was also seized in the process. The suspect has been detained at Garankuwa Police Station and will face charges relating to unlawful possession of firearms and according to preliminary information he
is also facing murder charges
In another incident, five suspects were arrested following an attempted heist at the OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday and are expected to appear in Kempton Park Magistrates Court today. The police and the airport security responded to calls that a heist was under way at the cargo section of OR Tambo International Airport. The police recovered personal protective equipment and three crates full of cellphones. The private security officers also arrested three suspects at Woodlands Mall, Pretoria East after an attempted robbery at American Swiss over the weekend.
The police together with the Private Security Industry have been very busy in the province ridding our communities of many prevalent crimes. Crimes ranging from Cash in Transit Heists, Car hijacking and many more have been thwarted by the police in recent times.
The successes are largely attributed to sustained Okae Molao operations and other multi-disciplinary law enforcement operations conducted in many parts of the province. The police have been consistent in monitoring and patrolling identified crime hotspots in an effort to turn the tide against crime.
Meanwhile, nine speedsters were arrested by the Gauteng Traffic Police High Speed Unit over the weekend with the highest speedster arrested in Bronkhorspruit after found driving excessively at 207 km/h in a 120 km/p zone. All speedsters were detained at various police stations and are expected to appear in various Magistrates Court to face charges related to reckless and negligent driving and exceeding prescribed maximum limit.
“The Department acknowledges that more work still needs to be done by the law enforcement agencies to create safer communities in the province. Gauteng Community Safety urges the police to continue to deal decisively with all criminal elements and act swiftly to arrest all suspects found to be breaking the law. Criminal activities perpetrated by callous criminals in our respective communities must be dealt with. We welcome the involvement of private security companies to come on board as they play a critical role in complementing the work of our law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime,” said departmental Spokesperson, Ofentse Morwane.
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