About 40kg of protected flora with an estimated value of R500 000 was confiscated during an operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) on the West Coast.
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This is thanks to the ‘More boots on the ground’ initiative, the multi-disciplinary approach that SAPS is taking to fight crime during the festive season across the country.
Spokesperson Sergeant Christopher Spies the integrated approach includes various units within SAPS, such as Provincial Traffic of the respective provinces, Local Municipal Traffic Officials, South African National Parks (SANPARKS), Department of Home Affairs (Customs and Immigration Officers), Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and other law enforcement agencies within the safety and security cluster.
‘These crime combating operations are conducted on a regular basis throughout the year to successfully monitor and police highways as well as entry and exit routes to these provinces, with the aim to enhance visibility and combat the flow of illicit drugs, unlicensed firearms, illegal items and stolen goods.’
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The project ran between 19 December and 22 December. During this time, officials conducted 39 977 searches, including more than 24 025 on persons, 10 337 on vehicles, and 307 on premises across the Free State, Eastern, Northern and Western Cape.
During the past week, 466 suspects were arrested in Cape Town on charges ranging from murder, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, sexual offences, the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition to drunken driving, reckless and negligent driving and minor road safety traffic infringements.
Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie says 75 houses were searched for drugs, resulting in the arrest of 102 suspects. A total of 25 wanted suspects were arrested during tracing operations.
Furthermore, more than two million millilitres of alcohol, mandrax tablets with an estimated street value of R5 180, tik valued at R5 040, dagga valued at R1 224, and small quantities of khat, cocaine and ecstasy were confiscated. Two firearms, one round of ammunition and five blank rounds were also confiscated.
‘Besides above successes, a significant decline in most categories of crime [was] observed for the duration of the cross border operation,’ Spies.
‘The absence of serious crime in the districts bordering the four provinces can be attributed to the high-density patrols and enhanced visibility on the provincial borders.’
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