Operations Rachel 1995 - 2001

Operations Rachel is a bilateral co-operation agreement on arms destruction between the SAPS and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique.

Operations Rachel is a bilateral co-operation agreement on arms destruction between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), effective since 1996. The specific co-operation is taking the form of a number of joint weapons destruction operations code-named `Operations Rachel`. Through these operations, a significant source of illegal weapons that have been destabilising the Southern Africa sub-region have been destroyed.

Many of the defining characteristics of Rachel were not planned in advance, but resulted from responses to operational difficulties arising from the use of two different national police forces and from looking to rural communities to provide a continual supply of information on arms caches.  

About the author

Ettienne Hennop joined the ISS in October 1998 as a researcher in AMP. A member of the South African Police Service for 13 years, he held the rank of Detective Inspector. During his career, he served with different sections in the SA Police Service. From 1993 until 1998, he served with the FIU Head Office and the Pretoria FIU as an investigating officer and firearms expert. He successfully completed several courses in ballistics, the identification of firearms and ammunition, the testing of firearms for court purposes, the identification and handling of explosives.