LIMPOPO – Provincial police have made 1 979 arrests in the past week as part of their intelligence-driven operations, which concluded on Sunday, 14 February.

A statement by Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, indicated that the arrests were made for various charges, including possession and dealing in drugs, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, stock theft, malicious damage to property, assault, robbery, murder and theft.

Ngoepe said 540 of the arrests were people who contravened the Disaster Management Act by either failing to wear masks in public spaces, non-compliance to the curfew and permitted liquor trade.

“The operations were conducted through stop-and-searches, road blocks and tracing of wanted suspects. The operations comprised members from the Crime Intelligence Unit, Public Order Police Unit, the Saps Limpopo Highway Patrol Team, the Stock Theft Unit, detectives, the Narcotics Unit and Crime Prevention Unit, with the support from the SANDF and provincial and municipal traffic police,” he explained.

During the operation, Tshamutumbu police outside Thohoyandou in the Vhembe district, recovered three firearms and several rounds of ammunition.

“The police and SANDF members were patrolling along the local public road when they spotted an unknown number of suspects hiding in the bushes. The suspects managed to evade arrest, however, the police recovered the firearms as well as 45 rounds of 9mm live ammunition, 13 rounds of AK47 rifle live ammunition, five R5 rifles, four cellphones, a knife and a SANDF uniform,” he added.

Other items recovered included:

• 11 firearms
• Eight motor vehicles
• 14 cellphones
• Cash
• 11 420 sticks of illicit cigarettes
• 38 dangerous weapons of which 40 knives
• 2 126g of dagga
• 44 dagga plants
• 10g of cocaine, 72g of crystal meth and 230g of nyaope
• 549 805 ml liquor

According to Ngoepe; 29 shebeens were closed, 27 742 people searched, 1 541 summons were issued for the contravention of the Road Traffic Act and 12 749 motor vehicles, searched.