Hon Deputy Chair, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes with a great sense of pride and appreciation that -
a) the North West police have arrested more than 9 000 people during a crime-prevention operation lasting three months, which was put in place in October in the build-up to the festive season;
b) out of the 9 185 people who were arrested, a staggering 4 472 were arrested in connection with serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, assault and robbery;
c) close to 1 700 were also apprehended for crimes committed with an economic motive such as housebreaking, theft of cellular phones, theft of a motor vehicle, theft out of a motor vehicle, stock theft and fraud;
d) more than 500 illegal liquor outlets as well as 41 licensed premises were closed, and a further 111 licensed premises were charged for contravening the Liquor Act, drugs such as dagga, cocaine, ecstasy, mandrax and heroine were confiscated, as well as the arrest of 53 people and the seizure of 169 firearms and more than 1 000 rounds of ammunition; and
e) in the Gauteng province, over 107 people were arrested in the past 24 hours in places such as Hillbrow, Braamfontein, Berea and Joubert Park for crimes such as murder, robberies, housebreaking, theft and fraud;
2) takes this opportunity to congratulate the North West and Gauteng police for this outstanding and sterling work and hopes that this will send a clear message to those who seek to use ANC resolutions to incorporate the Scorpions into the South African Police Service that the SAPS is demonstrating the capacity and sting to tackle crime in this country; and
3) hopes that the process of the incorporation of the Scorpions will be speeded up with the expediency that was expressed by the ANC conference.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.