Police have increased their presence in Cape Town in response to a recent surge in shooting incidents, with more than 145 officers stationed in identified hot spots since Sunday afternoon.
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The increased deployment includes members from a variety of units, including the Anti-Gang Unit, Tactical Response Teams, Operation Lockdown II, Operation Restore, and Public Order Police. These units have been deployed to carry out operations, conduct searches and seizures, stop and searches, roadblocks, raids and tracing operations in specific areas.
Their intervention came in response to an increase in shooting incidents, with several murder and attempted murder cases filed after a large number of people were shot in Mitchells Plain, Bishop Lavis, Philippi, Ravensmead and Elsies River.
‘With other law enforcement agencies such as the City of Cape Town’s metro police, LEAP officials and scores of community volunteers, the SAPS is on high alert and determined to restore calm in the identified hot spots,’ police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said.
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‘Recently, capacity at the provincial Anti-Gang Unit was enhanced by 47 members and an additional 100 members from Operation Lockdown II came from other provinces to assist in reducing serious violent crimes in Cape Town. In a co-ordinated manner, armed with intelligence, they execute operational actions where it is most required. On Sunday evening a contingent deployed in Elsies River apprehended a 50-year-old suspect and confiscated 50 9mm rounds of ammunition and over 400 mandrax tablets. In that operation the arresting officials came under attack from community members and shots were fired. The matter is the subject of an Ipid investigation.’
Meanwhile, provincial police stated that on Monday at approximately 8:45am, members of the Lentegeur Detectives Serious and Violent Crimes Unit searched a group of suspected gang members and discovered an unlicensed firearm, 16 rounds of ammunition, 18 and a half mandrax tablets, and an undisclosed amount of cash on one of the suspects.
The suspect was arrested and will appear in Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition and drugs.
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