KZN Police Arrest Over 11,000 Suspects, Recover 300 Guns, SA Lauds: “Continue To Serve and Protect”

• KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police arrested about 3500 suspects over the past seven days until 4 August, translating to over 11,000 in July
• A multi-sectoral crime-fighting strategy during Operation Shanela further resulted in police recovering more than 300 illegal firearms
• The successes come as KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi vows to combat wanton criminality firmly

DURBAN — KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police have cracked the whip on criminality amid a vow to maintain a clenched-fist approach.

Stern efforts yielded over 11,000 arrests and led to the recovery of more than 300 illegal firearms as part of a multi-sectoral crime-fighting strategy.

KZN police arrest over 11,000 suspects

The arrest of 3500 suspects during Operation Shanela from 28 July to 4 August added to the overall figure for the month.

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Police, in conjunction with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), nabbed 13,996 suspects during the same one-week period nationally, including 4,065 allegedly for murder and rape.

Suspects were charged with a laundry list of crimes in KZN, including contact crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, and robbery.

The week's operation further culminated in police removing 158 firearms and 1448 rounds of ammunition off the streets.

Meanwhile, they recovered 74 hijacked vehicles.

Another robbery suspect was killed during a shootout with police in eSikhaleni, 15km outside Richards Bay and Empangeni.

The shooting on Sunday became the latest after KZN police killed 17 other suspected criminals in shootouts in the past two weeks.

Provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi encouraged his officers to "ignore the noise", reiterating that criminals who shoot at police will feel the wrath of the law.

Residents all for crime approach

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Encouraged netizens applauded the firm stance, calling for the decisive and, at times, divisive crime approach to continue.

Briefly News looks at some of the responses.

@nkulipp wrote:

"Lord Mkwanazi and his soldiers must continue to serve and protect."

@PressPlaySA said:

"Great job, but [the] problem is the justice system will send them back to the streets on bail to commit more crimes."

@BabiBantu83166 added:

"If it is like this, jail will be full. These stats [are] fake and made to defend a killing of people by police in KZN."

@Lindo_Mnisi reacted:

"They will never convince me to hate on General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. I stand with him and the work he is doing in KZN. He is not a murderous thug. Y'alls brothers, fathers, and uncles are. And Mkhwanazi must deal with them."

@Recon1_ZA remarked:

"The only noise this man is facing is from the woke. **** them. Put the fear of God in these criminals."

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8 Suspected CIT robbers killed, 5 arrested in shootout

In related news, Briefly News reported that the stern crime approach in KZN seems to be rubbing off elsewhere in South Africa.

At least, that's what netizens think after eight suspected criminals were killed in a gun battle with police in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Monday night.

Source: Briefly News