‘This is sadly not unusual, as we have had a number of incidents where taxi drivers have been caught well over the legal blood-alcohol limit during the morning peak. What it speaks to is a lack of regard for the safety of paying customers, without whom the driver would have no income. Odds are that these drivers were drinking until late and then got up for work after a few hours’ sleep. It’s important to realise that alcohol remains in the bloodstream for far longer than most people realise and there is a very good chance that you are still legally drunk the morning after and not fit to be behind the wheel,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The arrest of the four suspects brings the number of motorists arrested by the Cape Town Traffic Service to 65 in the last week for drunk driving, outstanding warrants and reckless and negligent driving. Nearly a third of all arrests happened during an illegal street racing operation in the Athlone/Mitchells Plain area on Saturday 12 January 2019.

The operation resulted in 19 arrests – six for driving under the influence, one for furnishing false information and 12 for reckless and negligent driving. Officers also issued 649 fines for various offences.

‘We receive ongoing complaints from the public about illegal street racing. Athlone and Mitchells Plain are two of the many hot spots around the metropole and it is a massive undertaking to try and clamp down on this dangerous pastime. One of the drivers arrested during the operation was four times over the legal limit. This, combined with the need for speed that fuels these gatherings, is a recipe for disaster as we have seen so many times before, but still there is very little change in behaviour,’ said Alderman Smith.

In Hanover Park, the City’s Metro Police Gang and Drug Task Team (GDTT) confiscated two firearms in the space of 24 hours this weekend.

On Saturday, officers responded to information about an impending gang battle and arrested a 29-year-old suspect for possession of a .32 revolver and six rounds of ammunition. The following day, they arrested a 36-year-old woman for possession of a Z88 pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition (pictured) following a shooting incident.

Two more suspects (a 28-year-old male and a 36-year-old female) were arrested in Hanover Park for possession of drugs following a tip-off. Officers recovered 86 mandrax tablets, two mandrax halves and 93 packets of tik (pictured).

‘All of the successes in Hanover Park were the result of intelligence-driven policing and tip-offs. It is a timely reminder to the public that they can do something about crime in their areas by being vigilant and reporting anything suspicious to the City’s enforcement services or the SAPS,’ added Alderman Smith.

In Bonteheuwel on Friday 7 January 2019, the GDTT executed six search warrants and arrested three suspects aged 39, 34 and 27 on drug related charges. Confiscated items included:

• 9 packets of tik
• 44 dagga stoppe
• 21 whole mandrax tablets
• 6 mandrax halves
• R612,80 in cash

Elsewhere, Metro Police officers arrested nine suspects for possession of drugs, drunk driving and robbery. One of the arrests came in Woodstock on Tuesday 8 January 2018, when officers on patrol noticed a civilian chasing another person. They joined in and caught the person being pursued. It emerged that he was suspected of stealing the cellphone of the person who had been chasing him. The 26-year-old was arrested on a charge of robbery and detained at Woodstock SAPS.

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