Police Spokesperson Daniel Justin addresses the media. (SSNPS/Facebook).

More than 300 youth including eight girls suspected to be involved in gangsterism, have been arrested in Juba since the beginning of the police crackdown on November 18, said the police spokesperson.

Major General Daniel Justin said the new Inspector General of Police has ordered 21 days of operation to make sure gang-related crimes are drastically reduced.

General Daniel spoke to journalists shortly after IGP’s anticipated address scheduled at Traffic Police Headquarters was adjourned.

“The Inspector General put upon him that in the first 21 days, he wants to make sure that this issue of niggas and youngsters, which are involved in the criminal activities is to be crackdown.”

“And of course, we started it last Saturday in Gumbo, whereby in our first operation we managed to arrest 70 suspects, and after that the number went as far to 125, and today (27, Nov 2023) the number has gone to 310. Among them are 8 girls.”

Major Daniel said state police departments are instructed to equally start operation in order to crackdown these criminal activities.

“According to the plan, the operation will go up to the states because we have the same problems in the states.,” said Justin.

“The state is already instructed to start the operations because as you know, our record is full of dangerous crimes committed by these niggas, especially cases of murder.”

“They kill some of their colleagues, in Lologo Residential Area, Gumbo-Shirikat, plus Gudele. And some are injured very seriously, some lost body parts due to these brutal fighting among themselves.”

The police official recently said the ongoing crackdown in Juba is only intended to apprehend criminal gangs and not to wrongfully prosecute innocent people amid public outcry over arbitrary arrests in the capital.

Some members of the public, including celebrities, criticized the police operations that are alleged to have resulted in collective punishment.

Pictures shared on social media show the Inspector General of Police, General Atem Marol Biar addressing the young men, most of whom have locs and different hairstyles.

The detained youth included two artists, one of whom claims he was forced to shave his dreadlocks before being released.