Police on high alert: Festive season operations intensify across Northern Cape

NORTHERN Cape police have intensified high-impact festive season operations across the province, with hundreds of arrests made, thousands of people and vehicles searched, and dozens of non-compliant liquor outlets shut down as authorities move to curb crime during one of the busiest periods of the year.

South African Police Service (SAPS) operations have been rolled out province-wide through a co-ordinated, intelligence-driven approach aimed at protecting both residents and visitors over the festive season. The strategy has seen senior leadership taking a hands-on role in hot-spot areas, while detectives and operational units have been deployed to disrupt serious and violent crime.

Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola led high-visibility operations in the Namakwa District, where police focused on illicit mining, drug trafficking and road safety. At the same time, national oversight was underscored in the ZF Mgcawu District, where the Deputy Minister of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo, conducted an operational visit to Upington to assess deployments, crime-combating strategies and community engagement efforts.

Between December 15 and December 21, senior officers across the Northern Cape spearheaded disruptive operations alongside other law-enforcement stakeholders. These included stop-and-search actions, vehicle checkpoints, roadblocks, high-visibility patrols and compliance inspections across urban and rural areas.

Road safety remains a major focus during the Safer Festive Season operations. Police arrested 10 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol during roadblocks and checkpoints, as authorities reiterated that drunk driving, speeding and other traffic offences will not be tolerated.

In total, police stopped and searched 14,549 people and 6,606 vehicles during the week-long operation, while numerous premises were also searched. Compliance inspections were carried out at second-hand goods dealers, liquor outlets, farms, scrapyards, and formal and informal businesses.

These inspections led to the closure of 39 unlicensed liquor outlets for non-compliance. Police have reiterated their concern over the abuse of alcohol, which they say continues to fuel serious and violent crime across the province.

With festive shopping in full swing, security was also tightened at malls and shopping centres, where police focused on preventing ATM-related crimes, shoplifting, theft and robberies during peak retail periods.

The crackdown resulted in the arrest of 383 suspects for a range of offences, including drug-related crimes, murder, attempted murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Detectives further conducted more than 60 tracing operations, leading to the arrest of suspects who had previously evaded capture.

During these operations, police also confiscated significant quantities of illicit alcohol, drugs and dangerous weapons.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Cherelle Ehlers confirmed that intensified operations will continue throughout the festive season, particularly in identified hot-spot areas, as part of efforts to restore stability and curb criminal activity.

Police have urged community members to work closely with law-enforcement by reporting criminal activity to their nearest police station, via the SAPS Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or through the MySAPS app.