The Metro Police officers and their handlers uncovered drugs and counterfeit money during a joint operation with the provincial traffic department, which forms part of a larger safety partnership at weighbridges.
The City of Cape Town’s K9 Unit helped secure numerous successes during a joint operation with the provincial traffic department at the N2 weighbridge near Somerset West today.
K9 Zeke sniffed out several parcels of dagga being transported in a courier vehicle. Officers found an address on the parcels, and upon investigation at the house in Somerset West, found various quantities of dagga and drug paraphernalia on the property. The matter was handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation.
During a vehicle checkpoint that formed part of the operation, officers found a motorist in possession of a stack of counterfeit R200 notes.
The operation forms part of an initiative where the City’s Metro Police Department provides operational support to the Western Cape Traffic Department at weighbridges in the Swartland, Overstrand and Cape Town.
The K9 Unit’s role is to search heavy duty vehicles passing through for illegal contraband.
The partnership has been made possible through grant funding totalling just more than R10 million over a four-year period.
‘Our K9s already have a well-established reputation for finding illicit goods in and around the city, with dogs specially trained in the detection of drugs, explosives and firearms and even copper cables. So, when vehicles are brought to the weighbridges to check that they are within their specific load limitations, the K9s are used to search for any contraband that may be part of the load. As the successes from the N2 operation showed, it is definitely a worthwhile exercise. Furthermore, this partnership bears testament to the abilities of our canines and their handlers, but also the growing need for the particular skills that our department has been investing in for the past decade,’ said the City’s Metro Police Chief, Wayne Le Roux.
Hundreds of vehicles pass through Cape Town’s three weighbridges daily.
The facilities are situated along the N1 at Joostenbergvlakte, the N2 near Somerset West and along the N7 near Vissershok.
The City’s Traffic Service already works closely with its provincial counterparts to address overloaded trucks in the interests of road safety.
It is hoped that the K9 Unit’s specialised skills will advance public safety and help fight crime, by uncovering any attempts to move contraband in and out of the city.
‘Using cargo vehicles as a means of transporting illicit goods is not new, and given the challenges we face in Cape Town with drugs, firearms and other contraband, there is definitely a need to bolster our response. There are companies within the city who work with our enforcement services, as well as SAPS to check that their cargo is legit and that they’re not party to any criminal activity and we commend these companies. However, there are others who need to do far more in this regard. I urge them to take reasonable steps to avoid incurring criminal liability in the event that one of their vehicles is stopped and found to be carrying illegal goods.
‘Our K9 Unit’s actions during this operation deserve praise, but it also shows what is possible in this partnership with the provincial traffic authorities. It is just another example of how we can, and need to work together for the greater good,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Source: City Of Cape Town