Police in KwaZulu-Natal have arrested 12 624 suspects for various categories of crime including murder, attempted murder, rape, robberies and possession of firearms and ammunition during specialised operations and routine policing in the month of July 2025.
Out of the total number of arrests, 3 741 suspects were arrested for contact crimes, inclusive of 216 suspects who were arrested for murder and 201 attempted murder suspects. A total of 331 firearms and 16 178 rounds of ammunition of different calibre of firearms were removed from society. For crimes committed against women and children, police investigated and arrested 193 suspected rapists. Fifty (50) suspects were arrested for sexual assault, eight people were arrested for attempted rape and 17 suspects were arrested for other sexual offences. Two hundred and four (204) people were arrested for the transgression of the Domestic Violence Act and an additional four (4) suspects were put behind bars for child abuse.
Two hundred and one (201) suspects were arrested for different categories of robberies including business and house robberies, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft of or out of motor vehicle. One thousand seven hundred and twenty (1 720) suspects were nabbed for cases of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and another 925 people were arrested for common assault. Road carnages were prevented when 519 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, whereas 2 108 suspects were arrested for drug-related crimes.
Forty eight (48) suspects were arrested for stock theft and during the operations, police recovered 70 suspected stolen cattle and 77 goats. Six hundred and ten (610) dangerous weapons, including 536 knives and 36 machetes were recovered during July 2025 KwaZulu-Natal police operations.