“The reality is that drug dealing in schools is rife. It is important for us to not only flush drugs from our schools but also educate learners on the problem,” said Gauteng Police spokesperson, Brigadier Neville Malila.
A figure of 20 068 arrests was released by police on August 29, boasting a rate of well over 300 suspects busted for drugs in the province per day.
“We have seized a variety of drugs to the value of over R9-million as part of Drug Watch operations that commenced in Gauteng in June. We are seeing a noticeable reduction in drug dealing in certain parts of the province as more and more people are coming forward with information. These operations are also revealing the so-called hotspots to us and we will be intensifying our efforts in these areas,” added Brigadier Malila.
With the festive season on the horizon, parents in the south of Johannesburg have expressed concerns that drug dealers would increase the availability of hard drugs in residential areas in efforts to make more money. However, according to crime statistics, drug activity does not indicate a spike in any season.
Booysens SAP spokesperson Lorraine Van Emmerik says that they try their best to assist children who have become dependent on drugs and also conduct regular searches at schools.
”When we do the searches we try our best to assist and help children that are addicted to drugs. We often refer them to counselling and the schools themselves have programmes running that assist the children. The children are our future and if we can get them to stay away from illegal drugs, we have achieved changing a child’s thinking towards drugs,” said Warrant Officer Van Emmerik.
Adding that their primary targets are drug suppliers although most of the arrests made are mostly of users, we appeal to the community to supply us with the supplier’s details but most of the information received is mainly the users.
The main challenging areas in Johannesburg South are Turffontein, Bellavista, and Kenilworth, although some successes in other areas in the Booysens Policing area have been reported.
Head of Crime Line and Lead SA activist, Yusuf Abramjee said that the community’s involvement in Drug Watch is the main contributor to the initiative’s success, also urging members of the public to continue passing on information to Crime Line and Crime Stop
“The feedback we are receiving is astonishing. From reports that drug addicts are struggling to get their hands on drugs in certain areas to former drug dealers coming forward to assist. The conversation Drug Watch has started in the province is having an impact,” said Abramjee.
