LOCAL
The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate’s JP Smith has called for an enquiry into the status of hundreds of drug arrest cases made by officials over the past few months. It comes after the Public Prosecutor reportedly released a suspect arrested for possession of mandrax and tik, because the case was “trivial and stood no reasonable chance of prosecution”.
A parolee busted with drugs in his shoes in Hanover Park also sounded the alarm over repeat offenders who are not being rehabilitated. Smith expressed dismay, emphasizing that the courts should facilitate convictions and that officials should not negotiate with criminals.
Meanwhile, frustrations around a lack of judges in the Western Cape mounted this week, after a 2019 murder case faced yet another postponement. It comes as Vernon Floris was set to be trialed for the murder of Hanover Park’s Craig Cupido, who was fatally struck during an exchange of gunfire between two gangs. Floris and deceased Labieq Kannemeyer were arrested by the Anti Gang Unit at the time. The pair is among several alleged gangsters due to go on trial in 2024, for a string of crimes committed that year. Reports indicate that the detective informed relatives of the postponement, with families who similarly lost loved ones to gang violence lamenting the latest delay.
Smith was speaking after Metro Police, Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, Fire and Rescue and Disaster Risk Management announced their Festive Season Safety Plans in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday. Various operations are expected to be carried out on the City’s roads, beaches, public swimming pools, shopping malls as well as entertainment and public areas during the holiday period.
VOC
Photo: Fsacebook/JPSmith
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