Cape Town: City’s Metro Police officers arrested 41 for illegal possession and trading drugs. The weekly law enforcement operation was conducted in which 63 were suspected and 5,439 fines were issued.
The metro police officers confiscated three firearms within 18 hours over the weekend. Other than this seven were arrested for driving after drinking alcohol and one for reckless and negligent offences such as firearm related, commercial, property and contact related crimes, along with other things.
Cape Town Police officers conducted crime prevention patrols in Mitchells Plain on Sunday, Feb 18, 2024, in which they received information from community members of a suspect case who was running in Samantha Street with a firearm in his hand.
After receiving further information, officers immediately responded that the suspect was travelling in a white vehicle on Morgenster Road. The officers managed to stop the vehicle on the corner of AZ Berman and Morgenster Road.
The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the week-on-week confiscation of illegal firearms clearly shows to what length criminals will go to commit a crime.
Alderman Smith has said that it also shows that information-driven policing in the community is effective. It also demonstrates the importance of the community sharing the information with officers, so that they can act and arrest the suspects and confiscate the firearms.
“Our officers are doing duty on the frontline of the war against crime and they will continue to do so,” said JP Smith.
He added, “Once suspects are arrested and booked in at SAPS, the investigation process must be followed through.”
“We have said it before that it’s up to the criminal justice system to be more effective and to see it that criminals get their day in court,” confirmed the Alderman JP Smith.
Proceeding with the further investigation, the metro police officers found suspects in possession of a 0.44 heavy caliber revolver that was loaded with five hollow point rounds, in the magazine.
The police also recovered 12.44 magnum rounds and one empty cartridge was found with the suspects. Another, male aged 59 was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was then detained at Lentegeur South African Police Service (SAPS).