The Thohoyandou police have come out praising the community for their assistance in the war against crime. This comes after more than 100 suspects were put behind bars for a variety of crimes.

Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe Captain Mashudu Malelo said they had arrested 117 suspects. Amongst them is a 28-year-old foreigner who was found in possession of 56 rounds of live ammunition of different calibres of fire-arms.

In a separate incident, police also managed to arrest three men aged between 19 and 24 years for murder that happened on March 14 at Muledane village outside Thohoyandou. Information at this paper’s disposal indicates that the victim, a 41-year-old man, believed to be a Zimbabwean, was walking along the road with friends when they were accosted by the suspects. It is alleged the victims were attacked and robbed of their belongings and the victim was stabbed three times in the chest and died at the scene.

Malelo said this was the continuation of Operation Pinch which had netted more than 250 suspects since it was started three weeks ago. He said the majority of those arrested were for crimes like public drinking, drunkenness, driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of dagga, rape and assault.

He said they would not have succeeded in bringing so many lawbreakers to book, had it not it been for the assistance and tips they had received from members of the public. “We are very appreciative for what our communities are doing. The campaigns we always carry out in communities are now bearing fruits as more and more people are coming out to tip police and are prepared to stand up against criminals. This is the society that we so dearly desire to work with where criminals would not have any place to hide. With the help from our communities, we are prepared and will continue making our area a safer area to be,” he said.

He warned drunken motorists not to dare take to the roads in the Thohoyandou area as they will not be spared the wrath of the law.