Today, the MEC of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes reports of crime prevention and law enforcement successes in the Overstrand Municipality, by safety partners including the K9 Unit which is funded by the Department; especially in regard to the drug and abalone trade. A number of arrests in the different incidents have been made.
On Thursday an undisclosed amount of Mandrax tablets and tik were confiscated on the R43 near Kleinmond, for which a 41-year-old was arrested; while in a separate incident, the K9 Unit found an undisclosed amount of khat near Grabouw.
While on patrol on Thursday, the K9 Unit and Task Team spotted a suspicious vehicle on Grootbos Road near Gansbaai. Officers were able to stop and search the vehicle and discovered 17 324 abalone. The two occupants of the vehicle were arrested.
MEC Fritz said, “I am delighted to acknowledge the excellent work of all our partners in making the Overstrand safer. As we fund the K9 Unit, we are especially proud of their contributions to the successes realized over the past seven days; but we are really thankful to all our partners, including the local law enforcement units and neighbourhood watches. We know the connection between abalone poaching and drug trafficking, and so each and every confiscation of drugs or abalone is a success.”
Over the past weekend, Law Enforcement Officers from the K9 Unit and Rapid Result Unit found an undisclosed amount of tik, cocaine, Mandrax tablets and unga on the R44 Main Road in Pringle Bay. Two drivers hailing from Mitchells Plain and Manenberg respectively were arrested in unrelated incidents.
In a separate incident, officers from the Overstrand Municipality’s K9 Unit and Task Team on a Crime Prevention and Road Policing patrol, searched a suspicious vehicle and found 4 747 shucked abalone. A man was arrested for the illegal possession and transportation of abalone.
In another incident, members of law enforcement, the K9 Unit and the Gansbaai Neighbourhood Watch worked together in apprehending a suspect while he was trying to sell tools reported stolen during a break-in the previous night.
And in yet another incident, the K9 unit was conducting patrols near Grabouw when they identified a suspicious vehicle. After managing to bring the vehicle to a stop, the driver succeeded in fleeing the scene. Upon searching the vehicle, five black-bags of abalone were discovered inside the car. Both the car and the abalone were confiscated.
MEC Fritz concluded, “we are working together to ensure that our streets and communities are safe. In the Western Cape we are not going to allow the lawlessness and criminality to reign. And so we encourage more and more cooperation and integration of law enforcement agencies and law abiding citizens, including and especially with the South African Police Service. Let us unite towards this goal of drug-free and crime-free communities for our people!”
Source: Government of South Africa