Douglasdale Police Station together with JMPD and CPF initiated a stop and search operation on Main Road at the corner of Witkoppen Road on January 18. This was during a crime prevention operation called Shanela.
According to the deputy district commissioner of SAPS in Johannesburg, Brigadier Bonginkosi Ndebele, the crime rate increased in the past three months.
“So, we thought, let us come and increase police visibility, and interact with the community. We have seen an increase in contact crimes such as carjacking, house robberies, etc. That is why we decided to come to Douglasdale and stamp our authority.”
He said they chose to block that particular road because it is used as an exit. “That is where carjackers, stolen goods, and so forth pass. So, we identified it as a crime hotspot. It also goes to Midrand and other policing areas.”
About 24 illegal immigrants were arrested during the roadblock on Witkoppen Road before the police moved to another roadblock in Kya Sands, Randburg.
“We also arrested a driver with a car suspected to be stolen because the engine was tampered with. We are going to impound it. Two taxis were discontinued. We moved to Kya Sands because that is where most of the crime comes from. There are a lot of illegal shebeens and illegal immigrants.”
Dougladale station commander Brigadier Veeshani Arikum said, “We started the year with a bang and putting feet on the ground. We are working with the community as you can see there are a lot of community members, the CPF, Patrollers in Blue working with us. The whole idea of the operation is to work with the community to reduce crime in Dougladale and also go out to the community to win their trust.”
“Kya Sands is our main and problematic area when it comes to crime. It is usually domestic violence and illegal selling of liquor that contributes to domestic violence. But we are working tirelessly to deal with it.”
The office of the Johannesburg District Commissioner, General Max Masha has commended his troops for the sterling work executed during the combined Shanela operation between the Douglasdale and Randburg SAPS officers, in a media statement.
This follows the success of the operation which saw the arrest of 76 illegal immigrants in total.
“Amongst other successes during operation Shanela, police arrested one motorist for driving under the influence of liquor, inspected five liquor outlets and issued fines to the value of R20 000 for non-compliance, while 92 Aarto (Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offenses) tickets valued over R32 000 were also issued. The police would like to thank all the stakeholders who took part in ensuring the success of this operation. We will continue to suffocate all spaces that criminals are operating in until there’s nothing left.”
All the suspects arrested are expected to appear in court soon. Police appeal to members of the community to report any suspicious activities they come across or witness because they are the eyes and ears of the SAPS.
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