Edited by Bev Mortimer The Gqeberha (PE) Metro in the Eastern Cape revealed last month that joint law enforcement operations between the South African Police Services (SAPS) in PE and the Metro Police were being carried out to ‘suffocate criminals”.
The Joint Operations are focusing on serious crimes like murder and drug trafficking.
Metro Police commissioner, Andrew Moses, said the intention of these operations is to suffocate criminals. “We want to suffocate them with the intention of flushing them out of our communities and keeping them in jail where they belong.”
The news follows a number of gang related deaths in the PE area . Moses said the weekly joint operations will cover all ‘hot-spot’ areas of Nelson Mandela Bay.
The operations include stop and search, unannounced raids in places identified to be problematic, and carrying out law enforcement in taverns and other similar establishments.
The Metro revealed in one successful incident recently, at about 10 pm at night, The Joint Operations Team conducted “a disruptive search” in the Northern areas where violent deaths, linked to gangsters and drugs , have been experienced.
On arrival in Gelvandale area the team found dagga (cannabis) weighing 6.259kg with a street value of R14300, mushrooms worth R1800 and R3074 cash. A person selling drugs in the presence of a police officer was arrested. Following a search of the premises and surrounds, nine packets of cocaine weighing 17g were found in a backyard. Dagga, cocaine and money were confiscated.
Moses added: “We cannot live in a place where criminals are living freely and enjoying themselves while our communities live in fear and the future of the children is being destroyed.”
Subscribe to St Francis Chronicle to receive free, (no pay-all) daily news to your email as soon as we post new news of top local community happenings and stories in the St Francis, Kouga and surrounding areas
St Francis Chronicle 