Police intensify operations in Kimberley
THE SOUTH African Police Service (SAPS) in the greater Kimberley area has ramped up its crime-fighting efforts with more boots on the ground.
The police were out in full force on August 16 as part of the multi-disciplinary Operation Shanela, which was spearheaded by the acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Major-General Luntu Ngubelanga, and Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock reported that the acting district commissioner for Frances Baard, Brigadier Nicky Mtongana, served as the overall commander for the operation, while Colonel Michelle Ford, the Kagisho station commander, took the lead as the female operational commander in honour of Women’s Month.
The operation saw collaboration between various provincial components, including the Frances Baard District Office and the Galeshewe, Kagisho, Roodepan and Kimberley SAPS, as well as provincial and local Traffic, the departments of Labour and Home Affairs, and several Sol Plaatje Municipality components. Their combined efforts aimed to disrupt criminal activities in the area.
Key activities during the operation included compliance inspections, vehicle checkpoints (VCPs) and foot and vehicle patrols across Kimberley and its surrounding areas.
VCPs were conducted in the Kimberley, Galeshewe, Roodepan and Kagisho policing precincts, resulting in the stopping and searching of 302 vehicles and 594 individuals. Authorities issued 41 fines totalling approximately R30,000 for various violations.
The Sol Plaatje Municipality led compliance inspections at several business premises, leading to the closure of five shops and several illegal street vendors.
The operation concluded with high-visibility patrols in the Kimberley CBD, as well as at malls and shopping centres in Kagisho, Galeshewe and Roodepan.
Kock said that Ngubelanga thanked Sonyoni and all stakeholders for their collaboration in creating a safer city for the residents of greater Kimberley and ensuring the success of Operation Shanela.
