The Zimbabwean police at Beit Bridge and the Musina SAPS have arrested 45 suspected criminals, among them smugglers and armed robbers, operating in bushy areas along the Limpopo River.

Police spokesperson Chief Supt Lawrence Chinhengo said the suspects were arrested during a joint border operation along the Limpopo River over the past two weeks. Chinhengo said the operation was aimed at curbing organised crime along the border.

“Some criminals commit crimes in Zimbabwe or South Africa and then flee to either of the two countries. We have teamed up as police from the two countries to curb such practices, because crime knows no international boundary,” he said.

The criminal hotspots include Dulibadzimu Gorge and several illegal crossing points dotted along the river. Chinhengo said the operation was a routine exercise, following an increase in criminal activities around the border area.

Last month, police from the two border towns also conducted a similar exercise during which they arrested 19 suspects. He attributed the crime along the border to an increase in the number of stranded deportees from South Africa, mostly ex-convicts, who end up resorting to crime.