Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has said that it is alarmed by the increased hostility towards metro cops after two officers were stoned by residents in Khayelitsha, while trying to effect a drug-related arrest.
The metro police department made 55 arrests on charges including the possession of drugs, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition and contact crimes over the past week, in which they also issued 4 263 fines.
On January 10, while on a stop and search patrol in SST Section Khayelitsha, two officers apprehended a suspect for the possession of tik.
The suspect resisted arrest and called on residents for help. Some bystanders pelted the officers with stones, and both were injured. The patrol vehicle was also damaged.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “The officers eventually arrested the suspect and managed to get him to the Harare police station, where he was charged with possession of drugs and a dangerous weapon, riotous behaviour, malicious damage to property, and disobeying a lawful instruction.
“The increased hostility and violence directed at enforcement and rescue service staff is a grave concern to the City. The very people involved in this latest attack, some of whom filmed the altercation and threatened to post it to social media, are the very people who will need assistance tomorrow or next week, and also the very same people who complain about crime.
“Yet they see no problem with attacking and alienating the very people who risk their lives daily to create a safer environment for our communities.”
In Mitchells Plain on January 10, officers were conducting patrols in Rocklands, when they spotted an individual who appeared nervous when they saw the officers.
He gave them permission to carry out a search, and they found a Star pistol and eight rounds of ammunition in his sling bag. The 24-year-old suspect was detained at Mitchells Plain SAPS.
The firearm confiscation brought to three the number of firearms confiscated by metro cops in recent days, with an imitation firearm.
The metro police K9 unit also had a busy week – K9 Savage sniffed out drugs hidden in the sound system of a vehicle during a checkpoint in Goodwood on January 8.
A 35-year-old motorist was arrested.
Later, K9 Khalesi sniffed out 46 bankies of dagga in Parow, and 28 dagga stoppe in Kraaifontein. The drugs were booked in at the respective police stations as abandoned since no suspect could be linked to the evidence at the time.
Elsewhere, the City’s law enforcement department made 39 arrests on various charges including possession of drugs and the illegal possession of a firearm.
In Crossroads on Saturday, 9January 9, LEAP officers found a suspect in possession of a 9mm pistol after a short chase. He was detained at Nyanga SAPS.
Cape Town Traffic Service had a quiet week, with five arrests – three for reckless and negligent driving and two motorists who were detained on other charges. Officers also impounded two vehicles, 30 cell phones and issued 43 420 fines for various other offences.
Smith added: “It is worth noting the significant drop in drunk driving arrests. Our traffic officer recorded no such arrests in the past week, while our metro police officers recorded only two drunk driving arrests.
“The very low statistics are directly linked to the current alcohol ban as well as the curfew in place.”
Cape Argus