KIMBERLEY - More boots on the ground by men and women in blue throughout the festive season and beyond in an effort to create a safer festive season for locals and holiday makers.
High police visibility was evident as members painted the streets blue.
“Vala Konke”, a tri-lateral cross border crime prevention operation hit the ground running to curb the cross border criminal activities covering three neighbouring provinces, namely Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
The three day operation which started on Monday, 12 December 2022 and concluded on Friday, 16 December 2022, clamping down on criminal activities along high ways, by-ways, secondary roads and including the Ports of Entries.
The quarterly multi-disciplinary operation included various law enforcement agencies from the three provinces, focusing on illicit activities addressing narcotics, theft of motor vehicles, theft of none-ferrous metals, proliferation of illegal firearms, poaching of endangered species, which includes protected plants, wild animals, marine resources and counterfeit goods.
This crime intelligence driven operation, within the festive season operation was executed to ensure that perpetrators are put behind bars.
Provincial and Municipal Traffic officers, Home Affairs Immigration officers and other emergency personnel formed part of the operation.
The Tri-Lateral Operation was conducted in the following districts, per province Namakwa and Pixley Ka Seme districts in the Northern Cape; Joe Gqabi, Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman districts in the Eastern Cape and the Central Karoo, Winelands, West Coast and Garden Route district in the Western Cape.
The twenty four hour search and seizure static road blocks and vehicle check points were conducted along the following identified routes: N6 from Eastern Cape joining the N1 Colesberg (Northern Cape), N9/ N10 between Middleburg (Eastern Cape), Noupoort (Northern Cape), N14/ N12 which stretches from Gauteng via Northern Cape, N1 through Free State, N7 between the Namakwa region (Northern Cape) and Cape Town (Western Cape), N2 between Garden Route leading into Gqeberha (Eastern Cape) and Cape Town (Western cape). This also included the secondary routes the R58 between Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, R354 in Sutherland, R355 in Kleinsee and R389 in Phillipstown, R27 between West Coast and Northern Cape and other secondary routes.
Daily integrated and national wanted suspects tracing operations were conducted across the three provinces to ensure that those who have been evading court appearances are brought to book.
These suspects have been on the run for various serious and violent crimes ranging from murder, fraud, contravention of protection orders, domestic violence, rape, malicious damage to properties, theft, theft out of motor vehicles, theft of motor vehicles, theft general, shoplifting, housebreaking, trespassing and stock theft.
Various compliance inspections were conducted at second hands goods dealers and liquor outlets. Patrols and unannounced farm visits were also conducted at various farms to ensure that livestock were compliant in terms of the Animal Identification Act of 2002.
During this period the Tri-Lateral Cross Border Operation yielded enormous combined successes across the three provinces respectively, which includes;
Drugs and dagga with an estimated street value of more than 1.2 million rand;
Traffic fines to the value of more than R300 000-00,
Twenty two (22) undocumented persons were detained,
Three (3) unlicensed firearms were seized,
Two (2) vehicle seized;
Thirty two (32) bags of diamond bearing gravel confiscated;
Copper cable weighing 14,2 kg was discovered;
Two (2) endangered reptiles were confiscated;
and thirteen(13) protected plants were also seized during the operations.
The suspects are expected to appear in various Magistrate’s Court across the three provinces respectively.
Source: South African Police Service