Eastern Cape police have arrested close on 1 000 people in an ongoing crackdown on drug and alcohol abuse as well as other serious crimes.
According to statistics released by provincial police management on Tuesday, 452 people were arrested for drug related crimes in the past week, while a further 500 were arrested for other serious crimes that included murder, attempted murder and rape.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Marinda Mills, said that police also recovered 16 stolen vehicles and seized 24 firearms including pistols, rifles and shotguns and 400 rounds of ammunition at Qweqwe locality in Mthatha.
Mills said the crackdown on alcohol and drug abuse also tied in with a Community Outreach Project Programme Against Substance Abuse held in Nelson Mandela Bay last week.
She also emphasised the importance of educating learners and not allowing them to conform to peer pressure. "Under age drinking also came under the spotlight and police also focused their actions in this direction. 540 litres of alcohol was confiscated and 13 suspects were arrested for illegal dealing in liquor, while 51 suspects were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs," she said.
"For as long as young children are dependent on drugs and alcohol, our efforts to ensure a safer society will not become a reality. We must ensure that our leaders of tomorrow have a bright future and that is why we will continue engaging our learners on the dangers of substance abuse and the negative impact it has on their lives. We have also intensified our intelligence-driven operations to ensure that we confiscate these drugs and arrest the forces behind it's distribution to the youth. It is also very encouraging to note the increase in the confiscations of illegal firearms circulating in our communities," said Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga, Eastern Cape Provincial Police Commissioner.
Adding on to the list of achievements was the first SAPS National K9 Competition, hosted in Port Elizabeth last week. "Our four-legged partners made us all proud and prooved to be the best in the country," said Brigadier Mills. The Eastern Cape was crowned the Overall Winner of more than 120 competitors from eight other provinces.
Sergent Spannenberg with Gavin were crowned the Best on Protective Species category while Colonel Vimla Moodley walked away with the Best Provincial Police Emergency Service (PES) Commander.
