Police arrested four men on various charges, including attempted murder and drug possession, in Mitchell’s Plain, in a pre-festive season clampdown on crime.
During the special police operation, “Back to Basics Festive Season”, on Thursday October 27, from 6am to 1pm, officers made their presence felt in the community, setting up roadblocks, trawling second-hand dealers for stolen goods and hunting fugitives.
Officers arrested a 27-year-old man in Eastridge for attempted murder, armed robbery and possession of drugs.
Mitchell’s Plain police spokesman Captain Ian Williams said the man had 47 and a half mandrax tablets on him and had allegedly been involved in a shooting the night before.
When the police arrived at the house, the man ran and jumped over a wall, bolting into his neighbour’s house, where police cornered him. There was mixed reaction from residents as the man was led away in handcuffs.
One woman screamed: “He causes trouble and is shooting in our area, lock him up!”
Another said: “Don’t handle him like so roughly, he is innocent!”
Other arrests included two 43-year-old men, one for possession of two dagga stoppe, at the corner of Palestrina and Buffalo streets, in Eastridge, and the other for possession of tik and unga, at Korhaan Street, Rocklands.
Another man, 31, was arrested for possession of heroin at Bontebok Street, Eastridge.
At the roadblock in Spine Road, Tafelsig, police searched 142 vehicles and distributed flyers about domestic violence and safety.
An unlicensed 17-year-old driving eight school pupils in an Avanza was stopped and fined.
Mitchell’s Plain station commander Brigadier Cass Goolam said police had issued R3 000 in fines to licensed scrapyards for vehicles on their premises.
“The festive season is coming up and we want to clamp down on crime in the area,” he said.
“However, we need the assistance of residents. They too need to play their role in keeping their streets safe. They can assist by reporting information and also joining the safety structures.”
