Almost 200 suspects were arrested across Ekurhuleni policing precincts over the weekend as the police intensified crime-prevention operations between Friday afternoon, May 8, and Sunday morning, May 10.

The co-ordinated blitz, which included Primrose and the surrounding Germiston areas, also resulted in the closure of three illegal liquor outlets as police targeted unregulated trading linked to crime hotspots.

Of the total arrests, 124 suspects were apprehended by detectives during suspect-tracing operations across various Ekurhuleni districts as part of #OperationShanela, which ran on Saturday, May 9.

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Police said 76 suspects were arrested for contact crimes, two for property-related offences, 46 for other serious crimes, and 13 for gender-based violence-related cases.

In a notable incident in Primrose, police members acted on information about a landlord involved in a domestic violence-related dispute with tenants earlier in the week.

Upon arrival, officers found the suspect in possession of a firearm. When asked to produce a valid licence, the suspect failed to do so and was immediately arrested and detained at Primrose police station.

The weekend operations also led to arrests linked to drug possession, possession of unlicensed firearms, drunk driving, dealing in liquor without a licence, and immigration-related offences across Germiston and other Ekurhuleni precincts.

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Ekurhuleni District Commissioner Major General Anna Sithole commended officers and partner law-enforcement agencies for their co-ordinated efforts to improve safety across the district.

She said sustained operations such as #OperationShanela were critical in removing dangerous offenders from communities and restoring public confidence in policing.

Police confirmed that suspects will appear in various magistrates’ courts across Ekurhuleni as investigations continue.