In an attempt to clean the streets in the west of the city of unwanted criminals, the Pretoria West and Hercules police arrested a total of 36 suspects over the weekend.
The Pretoria West police started their weekend on Friday with Operation Lungisa (Thata Zonke) meaning ‘fix it’ and took to the streets in an effort to curb crime.
According to the station’s spokesperson, Constable Lerato Ngomane, three arrests were made during the operation. One person was arrested for being in the possession of nyaope, and two others on charges of assault.
She said: “The station commander, Colonel Caroline Naidoo, conducted a successful operation mainly to intensify visibility. A total work force of 75 SAPS and Metro police members was deployed. About 30 community members were part of the operation.”
Ngomane also said that the dog unit was deployed at various drug outlets where drugs were found, arrests made and knifes confiscated.
In the demarcated area of the Pretoria West police station one person was arrested for malicious damage to property, five for theft, one for house breaking and theft, three for common robbery, two for being on the railway lines illegally, one for perjury, one for drunken driving and one for armed robbery.
The Hercules police station’s spokesperson, Captain Bonginkosi Msimango, said that arrested 18 suspects in the Hercules area for malicious damage to property, assault with the intend to do grievous bodily harm, possession of suspected stolen property, shoplifting and drinking in public. One illegal immigrant was also arrested.
Ngomane said that they arrested a man on Sunday for perjury after he lied about being hijacked. “On Sunday, a man reported that his vehicle was hijacked and a case of hijacking was opened at the Pretoria West police station. Further investigation proved that the report was false and the man’s vehicle was in impounded at the Metro pound.”
She said the man ran away from the Metro police after he was to be issued with a traffic fine for obstructing traffic, so he fled the scene.
The police are urging the community to join them in their fight against crime. They must, however, not take the law into their own hands. Furthermore, members of the community are urged to keep their properties locked and not report false crimes.
