Jeppe SAPS tackles drugs
The SAPS continues to visit schools to eradicate drug use and dealing, the carrying of weapons and the use of cigarettes.
Residents at a recent public meeting held to discuss crime were shocked when they were informed about a pupil (19) who was caught dealing in drugs at a local school.
The boy was arrested and taken to the school principal, according to Warrant Officer Richard Munyai, the Jeppe SAPS communications officer.
His parents were informed and he was given a written warning.
W/O Munyai said the SAPS is trying its best to tackle drug use and dealing in schools.
“Drugs in schools is a concern. We are finding those who are selling to other children. We do find drug dealers at schools and depending on their age, we open a case. When we find drug dealers at a school, we investigate who is supplying them from the outside,” he said.
W/O Munyai said schools are visited once a month. “We do it as a cluster, which includes the Cleveland and Hillbrow SAPS, where all stations visit two schools per station. We do searches at all schools but our main focus is high schools,” said W/O Munyai.
He said dagga is most commonly found. Boys are the common users while girls are mostly found in possession of cigarettes.
The Jeppe SAPS is also attending to concerns about children caught smoking dagga in local parks.
“They are caught and we trace their families. Their parents are informed and they are taken to the South African National Council on Alcoholism (SANCA),” said W/O Munyai. Some children are also ordered to do community service at the school or police station.
W/O Munyai said the possession of weapons is not rife in local schools.
“However, we do find pocket knives and we also confiscate scissors that we think are too sharp and dangerous. Those children found in possession of weapons are also taken to the police station and their parents are contacted,” he said.
To combat the problems, the SAPS visits and hosts education campaigns with institutions such as SANCA.
When asked what is being done about people using sweets and fruits outside schools as a front to sell drugs, W/O Munyai said sector vans, managers and social crime prevention officers search all the street vendors outside schools.
@JoziReporter
