Several people were arrested during an integrated police operation spearheaded by the Western Cape Police Commissioner Lt Thembisile Phathekile in Harare on Friday 20 January.
The operation targeted unsuspecting illegal shebeen operators, illegal foreigners as well as random searches through “high density” foot and vehicle patrols. They focus on crime-combatting operations, roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, high visibility and compliance inspections to curb the prevalence of crime in the Harare precinct.
Harare Community Policing Forum chair Funeka Soldaat welcomed the operation and applauded the police for their “timing”.
“We would like to see more and more of these operations, not only during the day but at night as well. Such operations where you see so many police on the streets of Khayelitsha are very rare,” said Soldaat.
According to Soldaat, such operations “disturb” criminals and police should be applauded for their efforts.
Lt Col Malcolm Pojie, provincial media liaison officer for police, said: “During these focussed operations, members confiscated high quantities of liquor (more than a million ml (1 049 650ml) of beer, 531 340ml of ciders and 25 300ml of spirits and smaller quantities of illegal drugs such as tik and heroin.”
Pojie said members also arrested 19 undocumented foreigners and handed them over to immigration officers at the Department of Home Affairs.