Authorities are clamping down on crime in Bonteheuwel, following a series of gang and drug related incidents in recent weeks. The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security agencies teamed up with the South African Police Service (SAPS) for an integrated operation in Bonteheuwel and surrounds. The three-day operation saw 84 suspects arrested for a range of offences, bringing the overall arrest tally in recent days to 150.

Officers executed a number of search warrants and held stop-and-search operations which netted suspects for various crimes, including possession of drugs, stolen property, and dangerous weapons as well as attempted murder.

Elsewhere in the city, Metro Police made another 16 drug-related arrests, including a 32 year-old suspect who was caught after a tip-off led officers to a dagga ‘grow room’ at a house in Observatory. They confiscated 33 dagga plants, a small quantity of MDMA, a cellphone, a laptop and two hard drives. In Maitland, a 38 year-old suspect was arrested when officers found 3 kg of dagga, a replica 9 mm pistol, ecstasy tablets, and nearly R1 500 in cash on the premises.

Four of those arrested for possession of drugs were caught on the City’s CCTV system in the CBD. Control room staff also caught three men in the act of stealing bags of potatoes from a stationary vehicle along Vanguard Drive.

Metro Police and Cape Town Traffic Services arrested 49 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol at various roadblocks. Traffic officers also issued nearly 1 500 fines during operations across the metropole.

Traffic officers nabbed a Mitchells Plain taxi driver who is currently number five on the top 100 list of motorists with outstanding warrants. The 40 year-old man was arrested at his home as part of Operation Reclaim for a total of 89 outstanding warrants of arrest, totalling R70 250. The suspect was taken to the Traffic Court at the City Hall and was granted R8 500 bail; however he could not pay his bail and was transported to Pollsmoor Prison until his next court appearance.

“The serving of summonses continues to be a major challenge as the law dictates that you have to serve the summons in person. That is why so many motorists continue to dodge the system. However, I hope that this arrest will sound a warning to other motorists. We are continually improving our methods to track down offenders and if you don’t pay up, you could very well find yourself behind bars, as was the case with this suspect,” said the City’s Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith. VOC