Among the arrests in the past week by the Metro Police, Law Enforcement and Traffic Departments were four for the possession of illegal firearms and one for murder. Officers also issued 70 145 fines.
METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT
Metro Police officers arrested 80 suspects, which included the arrest of 32 suspects for the possession of, or dealing in illegal substances. Officers also issued 3 720 fines.
On Sunday, 8 August 2021, officers were conducting crime prevention patrols in the Mitchells Plain area when they noticed a suspicious white Golf. They stopped the vehicle and searched the two occupants. The passenger was found with a 9mm pistol that had been tampered with, and the driver was in possession of an empty magazine. Officers arrested the 31-year-old suspect for the illegal possession of a firearm. He was detained at Lentegeur SAPS.
On Wednesday, 4 August 2021, officers reacted to information regarding three suspicious persons who boarded a Golden Arrow bus in Cape Town en route to Harare, Khayelitsha. Members followed up on the information and located the bus in Mew Way, where they stopped and searched for the suspects. Officers found 10 gas rounds, a black imitation gun and a black leg holster in the possession of one of the passengers. The 19-year-old suspect was arrested and detained at Lingelethu-West SAPS.
On Monday, 2 August 2021, officers assisted with the recovery of a hijacked City of Cape Town vehicle. The Toyota Avanza was hijacked at gun point at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road and Symphony Way in the Philippi Area. Metro Police officers were dispatched and with the assistance of a tracker, the vehicle was recovered in Philippi East.
‘This is the second hijacked vehicle recovered within days in the same area. Officers recovered an Avanza on the 16 July 2021 with all City markings and number plates removed. The thieves used the same modus operandi. This area has become a hotspot, and the hijackers are incredibly brazen. We urge the motoring public to be extra cautious in this area, but also in general,’ said the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
During weekly patrols, Law Enforcement officers arrested 66 suspects and issued 4 670 fines.
Officers attached to the LEAP programme were responsible for 63 of the arrests.
On Monday evening, 9 August 2021, LEAP officers were conducting crime prevention patrols when members stopped and searched a male suspect in Bristol Road, Brown’s Farm. Officers found an illegal firearm with the serial number filed off, nine rounds of ammunition and one magazine. The suspect and vehicle were detained at Nyanga SAPS.
On 3 August 2021 a member of the public requested assistance from LEAP officers, saying he was robbed at gunpoint while waiting to board the bus in the Nyanga area. Officers immediately conducted a search. While patrolling the area, the team saw the vehicle and chased it down in Sheffield Road. Upon searching the suspects and vehicle, officers found a 9mm pistol. The suspects were taken to Nyanga SAPS.
‘We are experiencing an increase in the use of imitation handguns in crimes. The use of a gas pistol in a crime constitutes a serious criminal offence and our officers will use the necessary means to apprehend, arrest and confiscate illegal firearms and imitation pistols. We will not allow criminals to instill fear in our communities and prey on innocent residents. The intention to rob or commit a serious crime stays the same whether the criminal uses a handgun or an imitation firearm in the act,’ added Alderman Smith.
CAPE TOWN TRAFFIC SERVICE
Traffic officers arrested 42 suspects, impounded 79 vehicles and 164 cell phones and issued 61 755 fines during weekly patrols.
On 6 August, traffic officers stopped a vehicle on Klipfontein Road. They found the number plates to be fraudulent and upon further investigation, they found that the vehicle was wanted in connection with an outstanding murder case. The suspect was arrested and detained at Manenberg SAPS.
Source: City Of Cape Town
