According to Warrant Officer Balan Muthan, head of communications for the Douglasdale police, the operation was part of an ongoing programme between the police and the Department of Education in which schools are raided at random.
The operation was a joint venture between the Douglasdale police, the K9 Unit and the Gauteng Flying Squad.
Muthan said narcotic sniffer dogs were utilised to determine if there were illegal substances at two schools in the Douglasdale policing precinct, which cannot be named.
During the search at a high school in the greater Fourways area, a 17-year-old pupil was found with a small quantity of marijuana. Muthan said judging from the quantity of marijuana which the pupil was found with, he was using the drug recreationally and not dealing to others.
Muthan explained that in accordance with the Children’s Act, the pupil was not transported in a police vehicle nor was he detained at the police station but rather his parents were called in.
“This should be a lesson to all pupils, that police have the authority as granted by the Department of Education to conduct such searches and seizures at all schools and other educational institutions,” Muthan said.
