Over 1500 known drug houses in the Western Cape

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that about 1 577 known drug houses have been identified in the Western Cape

In a recent reply in parliament, it was revealed that by mid-2021 there are 741 known drug houses in the rural areas

‘’This is a stark contrast to the 53% of such premises identified in the Metro which is understood to be a lucrative environment for drug-related crimes due to population density,’’ said DA’s Community Safety spokesperson, Reagan Allen.

A Known Drug House refers to a premises that is allegedly used to distribute drugs and is known in a community at large and to the local SAPS.

According to Allen, the latest crime statics showed that an increase in efforts led to a 137% rise in crime detected as a result of police action.

”This is especially notable when it comes to the confiscation of illegal firearms or the detection of drug-related crimes. However, clamping down on these illegalities is highly dependent on ongoing intelligence-driven operations from the police service, as even just one drug house is one too many.’’

Allen said that he will write to the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, to enquire about what measures the SAPS is undertaking to prevent and clamp down on the sprawling of known drug houses to rural areas in particular.

The Western Cape’s Community Safety MEC, Albert Fritz, submitted the Western Cape’s Policing Needs and Priorities Report for 2020/21 to Police Minister, Bheki Cele, last week.

‘’This accurately identifies that drug trade, abuse and related crimes have been consistent since 2013/4 here in the province,’’ said Allen.

 

Done By: Mitchum George