Govt winning war on crime: Nqakula
Karen Pretorius
29 October 2004
Government says it has arrested some of the country's most wanted criminals following its promise to arrest the suspected offenders early this year.
The directive came from President Thabo Mbeki during his State of the Nation address in May, when he vowed that government would ensure that the 200 most wanted criminals in the country were detained.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula, announced in Parliament on Thursday that those arrested included 44 suspects allegedly involved in cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies.
These arrests also included four serial murderers and rapists, 94 suspects wanted for murder, rape and robbery. Eight suspects wanted for two or more cases of murder, rape and robbery, have also been caught.
"We also arrested 31 leaders of organised crime syndicates, 59 suspects involved in major commercial crimes and 32 suspects wanted for five or more cases of property related crimes," he said.
Nqakula said government's priority list of most wanted criminals did not only consist of the 200 suspects.
"There are quite a number of them that we have arrested," he said.
The recent crackdown in Cape Town, which led to the arrest of 15 suspected criminals, was part of a provincial list of 33 most wanted offenders, Nqakula said.
Ten organised crime projects have been initiated in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, leading to the identification of 51 syndicate leaders who are currently under investigation.
Nqakula said in the fight against drug dealing, the police had arrested 62 suspects between July and August who were travelling abroad as drug couriers.
Four laboratories were dismantled and drugs worth R20-million confiscated.
Between July and September 2004, he said illegal drugs and substances used in making them, valued at an estimated R2.5-billion, were confiscated at ports and harbours.
Nqakula
added that priority police station areas would be increased from 63 to 150 and that it was here that crime-fighting efforts were being prioritised.
Source: BuaNews
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