By Thapelo Molefe
Illegal mining remains one of the biggest policing challenges facing the North West as newly appointed provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Arthur Peter Adams prepares to take office.
Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane announced Adams’ appointment on Thursday, saying he would assume office on Friday following consultations with the North West provincial government.
Dimpane said the mineral-rich province continued to attract organised criminal syndicates involved in illegal mining, infrastructure-related crime, illicit firearms, money laundering and cross-border criminal activities.
She said Operation Prosper, involving SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), had made progress in disrupting illegal mining networks, but warned that the operation needed to be strengthened.
“The province remains one of the epicentres of the fight against illegal mining,” Dimpane said.
“Operation Prosper, through the deployment of the SANDF, continues to make significant inroads in disrupting illegal mining networks, dismantling criminal syndicates
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