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Despite commending the success of police’s Operation Shanela, Minister of Police Bheki Cele has warned delegates representing the country’s police, traffic, and correctional services that criminals have declared war on South Africa, and outlined a number of systemic and legislative changes needed to better support law enforcement.

Speaking on the second day of the 10th National Congress of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union(POPCRU) in Durban, Cele first commended POPCRU’s leadership for building a strong and highly respected organisation that represents workers within the criminal justice system.

He then pointed to the achievements of Operation Shanela as an example of the successes of the work of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and POPCRU members in the fight against crime.

Launched on 08 May this year, Operation Shanela aims to disrupt criminal activities through high-visibility police operations in hotspot areas. As a result of this strategy, SAPS has arrested 213,059.

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Issued by PR Works on behalf of POPCRU