A rural safety operation on 3 and 4 August conducted by various police stations in the Southern Cape to safeguard farming communities yielded positive results with the arrest of 21 suspects on various offences and the recovery of stolen items.
The operation focussed on Ladismith, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and included high density patrols, roadblocks, vehicle check points as well as compliance visits to scrap yards and second-hand goods premises.
In Ladismith the police arrested 15 suspects, aged between 20 and 48 years, for the contraventions of the Immigration Act after they were unable to produce any form of identification.
The tracing of outstanding sus- pects led to the arrest of four suspects on a farm at Ladismith on a charge of housebreaking and theft. Police also recovered an airgun that was proven to be stolen at a residence earlier that week. Three of the accused (aged 25, 34 and 40) were remanded in custody and a 17 year old was released into the care of his pa-rents.
On 4 August the team conducted operations at various scrap yards in Oudtshoorn where they recovered small quantities of ferrous metal believed to be the property of Transnet. Police arrested a 24 your old suspect on a charge of the possession of suspected stolen property.
Rural safety operations are part of concerted efforts by police and other law enforcement agencies to safeguard farming communities. Similar operations with a special focus on gender based violence will be conducted during Women’s Month.
15 arrested during rural safety operation
’n Taakmag van SAPS het verskeie buitelanders aangekeer tydens 'n optrede tussen Ladismith en Van Wyksdorp.