Elsies River community thwarts an arrest by clashing with SAPS; WC SAPS deploy more officers at hotspot areas

A teenage girl has died in Elsies River after the community clashed with police. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is probing a criminal case in which officers in the area, were conducting a raid on a house in ‘The Range’.

The officers arrested a suspect for being in the possession of drugs and illegal firearms.

According to IPID spokesperson, Phaladi Shuping, about 150 community members allegedly threw stones, bricks, and bottles at the police officers as they tried to arrest the suspect. Public Order Police then threw a stun grenade and fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

It was later revealed that four civilians had been admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds. A 16-year-old who was allegedly injured during the clash with police, succumbed to her wounds in hospital.

Meanwhile,  Western Cape police have deployed additional officers at crime hotspots areas across the Cape Flats.

The intervention, says provincial SAPS, follows incidents where murder and attempted murders cases registered indicate a spike in shooting incidents that saw a significant number of individuals shot in Mitchell’s Plain, Bishop Lavis, Philippi, Ravensmead and Elsie’s River.

‘’The additional deployments in the form of members from the Anti-Gang Unit, Tactical Response Teams, Operation Lockdown II, Operation Restore and Public Order Police have descended on identified locations on the Cape Flats where they execute operations, search and seizures, stop and search operations, roadblocks, raids and tracing operations,’’ said Lt Col Malcolm Pojie.

‘’With other law enforcement agencies such as the City of Cape Town’s Metro police, LEAP officials and scores of community volunteers, the SAPS is on high alert and determined to restore calm in the identified hotspots,’’ he added

Recently, capacity at the provincial Anti-Gang Unit was enhanced by 47 members and an additional 100 members from Operation Lockdown II came from other provinces to assist in reducing serious violent crimes in Cape Town.

The police spokesperson said a significant number illegal firearms and large quantities of rounds of ammunition were confiscated with suspects arrested on a weekly basis.

‘’On Sunday evening a contingent deployed in Elsies River apprehended a 50 year suspect and confiscated 50 9mm rounds of ammunition and over 400 mandrax tablets. In that operation the arresting officials came under attack from community members and shots were fired. The matter is the subject of an IPID investigation,’’ said Pojie.

‘’On Monday, 18 March 2024 at 08:45 members of Lentegeur Detectives Serious and Violent Crimes Unit conducted patrols in the Woodlands area to quell the ongoing gang violence in the area. The member accosted and searched a group of suspected gang member and found an unlicensed firearm, 16 rounds of Ammunition, 18 and a half Mandrax tablet and a amount of cash on one of the suspects. The suspect was arrested on the spot and  will appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on 20 March 2024 for charges related to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition as well as drugs,’’ said Lt Col Malcolm Pojie

Western Cape SAPS pleaded to the community to report crime, by contacting Crime Stop on 08600 10 111

 

Done by: Mitchum George