Cape Town - Community members in Heideveld and CCTV in Bellville played a vital role in the arrest of drug suspects by Cape Town’s Metro Police this past week.
Over 221 suspects were arrested and 80 681 fines issued by the City’s Traffic Services, Metro Police and Law Enforcement in the past week, the City said on Monday.
It includes the arrest of two suspects for possession of drugs on Sunday in Heideveld, with the community playing a vital role.
“The officers were busy with crime prevention patrols when informed by members of the public about the premises where illegal drug activities were taking place. On arrival, officers confronted two persons and carried out a search of the premises. With the assistance of K9 Kai, drugs were found in pipes that were attached under a table,” the City said.
The search conducted by officers from Metro Police K9 Unit and Tactical Response Unit found and confiscated 100 units of heroin, two mandrax tablets and five packets of tik.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, February 9, CCTV operators in Bellville detected a suspected drug deal and alerted officers to investigate.
“At around 9am, the officers spotted the suspect and informed him of the reason for their presence. The officers were directed via the CCTV operators to the vicinity where he was spotted dealing in drugs and found fifty-eight and a half Mandrax tablets and 13 bankies of dagga. The suspect also had R440 in his possession,” the City adds.
Cape Town’s Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith emphasises that the role community members play in sharing information that could lead to arrests should not be underestimated.
Nearly half (66) of Metro’s 134 arrests were drug related in the past week.
IOL