Cape Town - The City of Cape Town law enforcement agencies have been hard at work during the past week.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said its metro police and traffic services issued 56 503 fines during crime prevention patrols.
Metro police officers confiscated an R5 automatic rifle and arrested several suspects for possession of drugs and stolen items.
Smith said traffic services issued 211 fines while conducting patrols in the Bellville area and on the N1 highway, which included 48 fines for non-compliance with the curfew and nine for not wearing masks.
On Saturday, officers from the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) conducted searches and patrols in Delft South and arrested a man who was seen leaving a known drug house in Kamasie Street. Another individual exiting the home went back inside as soon as he saw the officers.
“Officers entered the house and found three suspects busy weighing drugs on a digital scale. They arrested the suspects and found a large amount of methamphetamine (tik), 88g, R12 203.50 in cash, a digital scale, tik lollies, unused tik packets and one round of ammunition. Officers also found book-keeping notes of transactions.
“Officers confiscated all the items and the suspects were taken to the Delft police station, where a case of dealing and possession of drugs was opened,” Smith said.
He said metro police’s K9 unit’s sniffer dog, Savage, indicated a trace of drugs in a vehicle which was stopped as it had no licence disc.
Officers inspected the vehicle and found 44 packets of methamphetamine in a sock and R2 270 in cash hidden under the back seat. A 43-year-old man was arrested and detained at Bothasig SAPS.
“We are extremely proud of our K9 unit, who have had several successes in working closely with fellow officers in our fight against crime. In some searches, drugs would go undetected if our K9 unit were not present.
“The arrest of the suspect and the confiscation of a large amount of drugs show that our integrated approach in crime prevention and enforcement works well, and we will continue to arrest those who trade in drugs and destroy innocent lives,” Smith said.
He said there was a car chase in Khayelitsha on Saturday after officers discovered an R5 rifle and 67 rounds of ammunition.
Once the driver was arrested, the vehicle was seized on suspicion that it had been used to commit an offence.
“The illegal possession of any firearm is a serious offence, even more so an automatic rifle with so much ammunition.
“The rifle could have been used in a criminal activity or could have been earmarked to be used in a violent crime. Our officers are doing their part under difficult circumstances.
“These arrests are the first step for the SAPS to do a proper investigation. This includes ballistic testing, which is the next step, and then it’s up to the criminal justice system to get criminals convicted, sentenced and off the street,” Smith added.
African News Agency (ANA)