Operation Shanela sees over 700k suspects nabbed thus far, announces Masemola

JOHANNESBURG - Operation Shanela has now seen more than 700,000 suspects nabbed.

The initiative, which is aimed at cracking down on crime in high-density areas around the country, was launched in May 2023.

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In providing an update on their crime-fighting efforts at an Operation Shanela roadblock in Kempton Park on Thursday, national Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola homed in on its successes since then.

Masemola said Operation Shanela has now racked up a total of 766,237 arrests since it was launched.

This equates to an average of around 51,000 suspects a month over the course of the last 15 months.

It includes 161,752 suspects who were wanted for priority crimes such as murder, cash-in-transit heists, hijacking, firearm-related offences as well as rape and other sexual offences.

The commissioner said they are aware of and share in communities’ concerns about violent crime and that through Operation Shanela, they are taking “proactive steps to combat this violence head on”.