Drugs confiscated at schools
Some of the drugs were hidden in pens, highlighters, glue tubes and candy wrappers.
SASOLBURG – The neighbourhood watch not only keeps the environment pleasant, they also help to keep the youth on the right path.
The AfriForum neighbourhood watch recently visited several schools in collaboration with SAPS and in the process seized, among other things, marijuana and crystal meth.
Some of the drugs were hidden in pens, highlighters, glue tubes and candy wrappers.
This success follows an awareness campaign about the dangers of drug abuse at Vaalpark High School and Sasolburg High School.
“During the operation, the learners and their schoolbags were searched where lighters and handmade smoking equipment for drug use were also found,” says Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s district coordinator for Mooirivier.
The school visits also included educational talks about discipline, respect, bullying, substance abuse and criminal records. This important information was conveyed to around 720 pupils.
The other institutions involved in this successful operation were the Free State Department of Education, Vispol, the K9 unit, the child protection unit, crime intelligence, Green Point Prison, the Department of Transport, the National Prosecuting Authority and the local community policing forum.
“The only way this type of violation of young learners can be solved is when a number of institutions join hands in the fight against drugs. It would be good if parents also got involved in these operations,” says Pretorius.
According to Johan Potgieter, the AfriForum neighbourhood watch leader in Sasolburg, the use of drugs among pupils is on the rise, largely due to peer pressure to ‘fit in’.
“Drug sales also do not only take place on the street, but even on school grounds,” concludes Potgieter.
* Contact Potgieter on 082 337 5983 to get involved with the Sasolburg neighbourhood watch.
