Durban- The Provincial Commissioner of Police in KwaZulu Natal and the Berea Community Policing Forum have commended the policemen involved in arresting armed gunmen in Musgrave on Wednesday.
Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the Acting SAPS PC, commended the officers for apprehending the criminals before they could commit a crime.
Berea police deployed their officers strategically in the Musgrave area following an analysis of criminal activities, especially robberies and theft of motor vehicles. Their hard work and persistence paid off when they arrested three suspects who were on a mission to commit a crime in the area.
“These arrests are an indication that our deployment strategies which are informed by our crime threat analysis are paying off. A number of criminals are apprehended on a daily basis due to these proactive deployments which include stop and searches," Mkhwanazi said.
He urged the public to continue reporting a crime.
This was an example of great police work from our crime prevention team said Paul Antao, Berea Community Policing Forum spokesperson. He said these SAPS members are thus the true heroes in our community.
"Due to their skill, they were able to identify suspicious behaviour in three individuals which led to the recovery of firearms. One of the firearms could be linked to another crime. This is an outstanding arrest as there is no doubt that many crimes and possibly even deaths caused by their firearms have been prevented due to their arrest," Antao said.
The three, in their mid-twenties, were detained and charged for being in possession of car breaking implements as well as for being in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The men will appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Friday.