Mitchell’s Plain police held a joint operation with City law enforcement in AZ Berman Drive, in Beacon Valley, on Friday September 15, from 10am to 1pm, with the operation including vehicle checks, checks for road worthiness and searching for contraband including drugs, firearms and stolen property.
Twenty seven vehicles were searched and 10 traffic fines were issued to the value of R11 500.
A man, 52, was arrested in Baviaanskloof Street, in Tafelsig, for being in possession of drugs on Monday September 11 at 4.30pm.
The Mitchell’s Plain SAPS Crime Prevention Unit found 231 packets of dagga, four parcels of dagga wrapped in newspaper, 3kg of loose dagga and 17 dagga cigarettes.
Mitchell’s Plain police spokesman Captain Ian Williams advised residents to contact the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (SANCA) or registered rehabilitation centres should they or anyone they know suffer from drug addiction.
“Drugs and alcohol addiction fuel crime such as domestic violence, assault, theft and robbery, as addicts are desperate for money to support their habit. Help is available. Persons found in possession of illegal substances such as dagga will be criminally prosecuted,” Captain Williams warned.
Mitchell’s Plain SAPS wants to alert the community of Morgenster and Westridge to the recent spate of housebreakings being reported in the area.
According to the police, witnesses have reported seeing four neatly dressed men at the times of these crimes.
Captain Wiliiams said the suspects knock on the victims’ doors to determine if people are home.
“They then break into the houses with crowbars. In many instances safety gates are forcefully removed before the thieves make off with items such as flatscreen televisions. The group is believed to be making use of different vehicles. In one report, the thieves were carrying clipboards as though doing surveys,” he said.
According to police in Westridge, there have been reports of three men in a white Polo. These suspects are allegedly armed.
The police have also issued some safety tips for residents:
– Join the local community structure like the neighbourhood watch.
– Report all suspicious persons or activities to police.
– Build good neighbour relations, so that you can contact each other in any emergency.
– Ensure that safety gates are properly installed.
– Install cameras and alarms where possible.
A man, 29, was arrested by law enforcement officers for being in possession of a stolen vehicle in the Strandfontein Pavilion area on Monday September 18.
The area has recently seen a spike in stolen vehicles.
On Monday, residents alerted the officers to a suspected stolen vehicle in the parking area.
The officers approached the driver of the vehicle and asked him to produce his driver’s licence.
He panicked and fled, but the officers gave chase and caught him.
The owner of the vehicle arrived and identified the car as his vehicle that was stolen a few days earlier.
The suspect, who is from Beacon Valley, was taken to Strandfontein police station where he was charged.
Mitchell’s Plain station commander Brigadier Cass Goolam said the police would continue to clamp down on crime in the area.
Residents can report crime to Mitchells Plain police station at 021 3701653, 021 370 1600 or 082411 2379; Strandfontein police station at 021 370 1500 and Lentegeur police station at 021 377 5032.
