Operation Shanela: Major police initiative leads to 5,500 arrests in KwaZulu-Natal

A total of 5,500 suspects were arrested across KwaZulu-Natal during September as part of Operation Shanela, a high-impact police initiative targeting crime hotspots in the province.

According to police, a total of 5,527 suspects were taken into custody for various offences, including contact crimes, drug-related charges, and illegal firearm possession. The operation also led to the recovery of 105 unlicensed firearms, among them eight rifles.

Of the arrests, 1,464 were for contact crimes. Police said 730 suspects were charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, while 85 were arrested for murder and 93 for attempted murder.

According to a statement released on Wednesday by provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza during these operations, those who deal in narcotics did not escape the police radar as a total of 921 suspects were arrested drugs were recovered in the process.

"Police also arrested 51 suspects for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition," says Magwaza.

"The arrested suspects have appeared in various courts in the province, however the work of the police teams in Operation Shanela II does not end with the arrests of the suspects and recovery of exhibits" 

Magwaza continued to add that all recovered firearms will undergo ballistic testing to establish if they were used in previous criminal activities. The firearms recovered will also be subjected to ballistics tests to determine if they have not been used in the commission of other crimes.

IOL NEWS