Norwood police urged parents and community members to work with police to overcome the drug problem affecting youth in the area.
The Gazette met with the social crime coordinator at Norwood Police Station Constable Monure Wilson Mamabolo to discuss the problem of drugs in the area. He explained that the issue was twofold.
Firstly, police worked alongside the Department of Social Development every Tuesday, visiting drug hotspots where displaced persons were often found smoking nyaope.
“We convince new people every week to go to rehab and take them to the shelter at 3 Kotze Street, Hillbrow, to assist them,” said Mamabolo.
He added that it was difficult for the addicts to stop the drug immediately and the shelter assisted them to gradually reduce smoking until they were ready to be rehabilitated.
Mamabolo urged community members to avoid giving beggars money which he believed would only promote the smoking habit. He suggested that residents rather contributed to the work of shelters which assisted these individuals.
Secondly, Norwood police have observed evidence of substance abuse among children in Patterson Park.
“Kids began visiting the park when schools were closed and alcohol was not sold. They would mix cool drink and cough mixture to create a drug which has the same effect as alcohol,” said Mamabolo.
Owner of Khaume Security, Simon Ramara said his security company started seeing bottles of cough mixture all over the park at the start of lockdown.
“We were picking up between 20 and 30 bottles per day, and 200 to 300 bottles every week,” said Ramara.
“The numbers have eased dramatically because of the return of alcohol, but we still do find a large number of bottles here every week. We have observed children between the ages of 12 and 17 drinking it in the park.
“Parents need to understand what their children are doing when they go outside the house. These things are happening before our eyes, using cough mixture that parents pay for. We need to question children who come home late. Without parental involvement, we won’t be able to stop this.”
Mamabolo said police were visiting schools in the area to educate learners about the danger of these drugs.
He encouraged community members to work with police to bring an end to this scourge.
“The community can come to us with challenges and we can refer them for assistance.”
Details: Call Social Crime Prevention at Norwood police on 082 550 1053.
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