Record-breaking week of arrests for City enforcement teams

With 447 arrests between them for a range of charges, including possession of drugs and illegal firearms, outstanding warrants and drunk driving, the City’s Metro Police Department and Traffic Service had a very busy week.

The Metro Police Department made 71 arrests and uncovered various quantities of drugs and illegal firearms. They also came to the aid of victims of crime.

Officers arrested 39 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol at various roadblocks, including Kuilsriver, Lansdowne and the Cape Town CBD.

On Sunday 21 July 2019, officers found an 18-year-old man in possession of an imitation firearm in Mfuleni. In Kalkfontein, officers spotted two men pushing a VW Golf down the street. They stopped and searched the men and the vehicle, and found a black gas gun in the vehicle. The men, aged 32 and 24, were detained at Kuilsriver SAPS for possession of an imitation firearm.

In The Hague, Delft on Friday evening, members of the Neighbourhood Safety Team observed a man with something in his waistline. They conducted a search and found the suspect with a 9mm Star pistol and eight rounds of ammunition and a magazine in his possession. The 17-year-old was arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

The weekend firearm recoveries bring to five the number of weapons confiscated by the Metro Police Department in the last week, following the arrest of a suspect at Nyanga Junction with a firearm and flare gun on Thursday 18 July.

Metro Police officers conducted searches in various areas including Ravensmead, Summergreens and Melkbosstrand, making 15 arrests for the possession of drugs. In one case, officers were tipped off about drugs at a house in Hanover Park. They found a woman, trying to flush 69 dagga stoppe down the toilet. The 38-year-old was arrested on a charge of possession of drugs and detained at Philippi SAPS.

Drugs confiscated during these operations included various bags, parcels and bankies of dagga, 13 bags of tik and nearly R6 000 in cash. In addition, officers recovered dagga with an estimated street value of R60 000 at the same premises in Khayelitsha in the space of 48 hours, after receiving tip-offs.

‘Many of our operational successes are the result of visible policing, quick responses when acts of crime are flagged with staff, but also community involvement. We are extremely grateful to those residents who put their hands up and become involved in the fight against crime, in spite of the risks that often go with it. To the staff, my message is to continue being available and responsive to the public need, as the many instances of good cooperation attest to. A million small contributions can make a massive difference,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

On Tuesday, 16 July, just after 23:00, officers on patrol along the N2 were flagged down by a man near the Jan Smuts off-ramp. The shocked motorist indicated he had been driving along, approaching the off-ramp, when people approached his vehicle and fired two shots in his direction. The motorist stopped and ran away. When he saw that the suspects had left, he returned to the vehicle, but they had taken his keys and radio. Officers searched the area, but there was no sign of the suspects.

On Monday, 15 July, at 20:00, officers were alerted to an injured person at Borcherds Quarry and the N2. The officers found a woman who had been assaulted and requested medical assistance. She indicated that she was travelling in a minibus taxi from Bellville taxi rank to Nyanga, when she was hit over the head with a hammer and robbed of her belongings by three males and a female, before being thrown from the taxi. The patient was transported to hospital, in a stable condition.

‘These incidents are completely shocking and speak to the brazenness of criminals in our society. The Metro Police Department conducts as many patrols along the N2 as its resources allow, and on average, officers assist more than two dozen motorists each week. We ask that residents save the number to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on their phones, so that they can summon help quickly in the event of an emergency. That number is 021 480 7700 from a cellphone,’ added Alderman Smith.

On the roads, the Cape Town Traffic Service continues to flex its muscle. Officers arrested 376 suspects in the last week, impounded 32 vehicles and issued 4 151 fines for various offences. Of those arrested, 135 were caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

Staff attached to Operation Reclaim had a busy weekend. They arrested 224 taxi drivers at roadblocks in Mfuleni and Kraaifontein for 582 outstanding warrants, totalling A total of 223 taxi drivers were arrested for 1 179 outstanding warrants, valued at R2 777 370. One of them was also in possession of a firearm, for which the license had expired. The firearm was booked in at Kraaifontein SAPS.

Officers also arrested seven dozen taxi owners at their homes in these areas, for 686 outstanding warrants totaling R772 320, as outlined below:

a 44-year-old owner with 214 outstanding warrants to the value of R218 800

a 23-year-old owner with 121 outstanding warrants to the value of R185 100

a 54-year-old owner with 65 outstanding warrants to the value of R83 200

a 66-year-old owner with 17 outstanding warrants to the value of R18 000

a 53-year-old owner with 68 outstanding warrants to the value of R63 300

a 47-year-old owner with 119 outstanding warrants to the value of R117 500

a 29-year-old owner with 82 outstanding warrants to the value of R86 420

‘Once these suspects are arrested, they are given the opportunity to finalise their warrants. If they’re unable to do so, they are placed in custody and appear in court where a magistrate decides on the way forward. This could include a payment plan of sorts, where the offender is expected to settle a portion of the outstanding warrants before they are released on a warning to pay the rest within a certain amount of time. Jail time is an option too. I hope that the public, in general, takes note of these developments and endeavour to do the right thing and settle their outstanding fines. It really is simple � if you break the law, you need to pay,’ said Alderman Smith.

Source: City Of Cape Town

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