Massive coordinated anti-crime operation held in Angelo
Police conducted a massive operation in the Angelo Informal Settlement and Boksburg North areas on Thursday, January 14, during which scores of suspected stolen goods and illegal substances were seized.
Police officers arrived in their hordes, and swooped on a number of shacks, spaza shops and illegal shebeens in Angelo.
They also raided the nearby mine dump where hundreds of illegal gold diggers reportedly operate.
Mining equipment used by illegal miners, dagga plants and alcohol were among the goods seized by the police in the informal settlement in the joint police operation targeting guns, dagga, illegal miners and wanted suspects.
The operation was launched just before 10am, and it involved the Mounted Unit, Home Affairs, EMPD, Boksburg SAPS, Boksburg North SAPS, Reiger Park SAPS, Brakpan SAPS, Tsakani SAPS, the Gauteng Flying Squad and the K9 Dog Unit, as well as mine security officers.
As part of the operation, the traffic police along with members of the SAPS mounted roadblocks in various areas of the city, where vehicle checkpoints were held which resulted in dozens of vehicles being searched and fines being issued.
The operation then extended to Boksburg North, where similar activities were carried out in different parts of the area.
The operation was held amid the ongoing deadly attacks in the informal settlement.
Angelo has recently seen a wave of killings, believed to be related to an illegal mining turf war, among foreign nationals.
Four people were brutally killed during the early hours of New Year’s Day, according to the Boksburg SAPS spokesperson, Lieut Kwendzakwakhe Ngobese.
The area has the highest murder rate of all the Boksburg areas, according to police reports with 17 reported homicides between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2016.
Concerned residents have also expressed grave concern at the crime situation in the area.
Two residents, Kgabo Makgabo and Bonga Thimbela, praised the police anti-crime operation, but stated that more needs to be done to rid the area of all the criminals they said have taken over the settlement – and who do not value people’s lives.
“Instead of coming here during the day, police management should send plain-clothes police officers to raid all the shacks believed to be housing criminals and illegal goods, and this must be done during the night, especially on weekends.
“If they can start conducting their raids during the night, I promise you they will find a lot of guns and wanted suspects,” said Thimbela.
Kgabo Makgabo echoed Thimbela’s views and added that as community members they are willing to work with the police to rid the area of criminals, but they are scared of the killers. -@FanieFLK
