GAUTENG Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela said if you want to reduce crime in Gauteng, you must reduce it in Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
So he is focusing on Tshwane because it's the second biggest district in the province.
Mawela led Operation Shanela in Mamelodi on Saturday night, 9 December.
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"Tshwane is showing an ugly head in terms of crime and felt that we must come and help. We identified the biggest police stations that are contributing to crime like Pretoria Central, Sunnyside and Mamelodi Police Stations," he said.
Furthermore, he said he knows the problems and challenges of Mamelodi.
"In Mamelodi its good for us to work during the night. At night, people of Mamelodi become so excited and some don't enjoy it in a responsible manner," he said.
Mawela said there is a problem with the hijacking of Ubers, especially in Mamelodi East. He said criminals are also targeting spaza shops, robbing them and extorting money.
He said detectives arrested 519 known and wanted suspects. "We are gradually removing all criminals on the streets of Gauteng," he said.
He said Tshwane metro police arrested 15 drunk and driving motorists and recovered three firearms and eight cellphones in Mamelodi East on Friday, 8 December.
Mawela said they arrested 43 undocumented persons, 19 for drunk and driving, six shebeens were closed, whille six people were arrested for drugs. In addition, one person was arrested for being in possession of an illegal firearm.
He said there are crimes of murder, attempted murder, assault GBH, assault common, robbery aggrevation and sexual offenses in Mamelodi.
"We will be forever on the streets fighting crime," said Mawela.
