Police Minister, General Bheki Cele, says the South African Police Service (SAPS) is not sorry for taking a tough stance against crime in the country.
Speaking to reporters about Operation Shanela’s success in Pretoria today, Cele mentioned how Community Policing Forums, community patrollers, and private security have been actively supporting and playing a big role in making the operation work.
Operation Shanela started last May to tackle crime in busy areas.
So far, they’ve arrested 600,000 criminals, including wanted ones, and carried out over 71,000 operations across the country.
They’ve seized illegal guns, drugs, stolen cars, and checked unlicensed businesses. They’ve also caught lots of drunk drivers, people stealing from cars, and those involved in human trafficking.
Cele said Operation Shanela is happening all over the country, led by each province’s top cops.
They focus more on policing from Thursday to early Monday since that’s when most crimes happen, according to their analysis.
Every Monday, they review the week’s crime and plan their next moves.
Cele emphasized that while SAPS is leading Operation Shanela, it’s successful because of teamwork with other law enforcement agencies like the military, traffic police, and various government departments.
He stressed that citizens also play a big part in fighting crime.
Crime analysts also shared their views at the briefing, showing how SAPS is fulfilling its duty to prevent and solve crimes.
Provincial Police Commissioners said crime has dropped a lot in their areas because of Operation Shanela, despite facing different challenges.
They’re all committed to making their provinces safer by tackling criminals head-on.
