Metro cops arrest 76 suspects in crime blitz

Published Mar 30, 2015

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The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police Department arrested 76 suspects, including 45 motorists for drunk driving, the City said today.

In various operations across the city, Metro Police also arrested a number of people on charges of drug possession, assault and vehicle theft.

Of the 45 motorists arrested for drunk driving, 40 were caught in Manenberg, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Philippi East.

Three more suspects were arrested in Bellville South, while two drivers were arrested at accident scenes in the CBD and Kleinvlei respectively.

“Yet another weekend and yet another batch of drunk drivers taken off the roads. I am at my wits end with this ongoing problem. It really does feel as though we are caught in a hamster’s wheel. We need to start having a far more serious conversation across the various tiers of government about how to better deal with drunk driving. We need to hit these perpetrators where it hurts, because at the moment the existing measures are not enough of a deterrent and motorists continue doing it, because they believe they can get away with it,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith.

Officers also arrested 31 suspects for drug possession, assault, possession of dangerous weapons and vehicle theft, and confiscated various quantities of tik, dagga and mandrax and nearly R1 500 in cash.

In one incident in Kraaifontein, officers found a suspect in possession of 100 grams of uncut tik with an estimated street value of more than R140,000. They also impounded a dark grey VW Golf during the arrest.

“We are making dozens of arrests each week, but until we really start hitting the big supply lines, we will not make meaningful inroads in the fight against drugs. I would therefore like to reiterate the Mayor’s call of a few weeks ago for communities to come forward and help us with information that will assist us in apprehending the big fish running the operations. We have an informant reward system in place and will pay up to R1000 to anyone who can provide credible information that will result in arrests and ultimately the disruption of the drug trade in Cape Town,” said Smith.

Last week, a tracking company sought assistance from the Metro Police Camera Response Unit after a vehicle was stolen in Wynberg. Officers tracked down the vehicle in Parow a short while later, resulting in the arrest of six suspects.

ANA

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