Johannesburg – The number of smash and grab incidents in Johannesburg has decreased following the arrest and removal of more than 500 people as part of an operation aimed at making the city safer, the metro police said on Saturday.
JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said the people were arrested at intersections and on freeways across the city since Operation Ke Molao was launched at the Department of Public Safety’s Johannesburg headquarters on February 11.
“So far there has been a considerable decline in the number of these crimes in Johannesburg, while officers continue to focus on identified hotspots. The operation is bearing fruit.”
The operation was on-going, Minnaar said.
Among those removed were beggars, a disabled individual and undocumented immigrants who were assisted by the department of social development and home affairs respectively.
Those arrested faced charges of either theft out of motor vehicle, illegal window washing, obstruction at an intersection or jaywalking.
Upon arrest they could either pay a R300 fine or spend 24 hours in police custody.
News24
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