Dying diggers of Namaqualand need saving
Harold Mcgluwa, MPL
DA Northern Cape: Provincial Chairperson
082 383 6914
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the recent raid by the Kimberley South African Police Services (SAPS) of a house in Kirstenhof in which drugs were allegedly being manufactured.
The bust netted one suspect, and saw the confiscation of dangerous drugs, such as tik and khat, including the equipment used to manufacture such drugs.
It is of major concern that the SAPS also found equipment used to illegally access the SAPS radio communications, as this indicates the suspect may have always been just one step ahead of SAPS, until he was eventually arrested.
The level of sophistication of the suspect may point to a wider, and more organized network of criminals who are involved in these crimes. Indeed the increasing use of technology and gadgets to evade law enforcement agencies should also begin to raise alarm bells to senior SAPS officials.
The DA is thus of the view that this bust may only be the tip of the iceberg, and warrants the SAPS to re-establish the specialized anti-drug unit, which was known as the Narcotics Unit. The denial of the SAPS of the need for such a specialized unit ignores the growing evidence that South Africa is increasingly becoming a global manufacturer and net exporter of illicit drugs and harmful substances.
According to the SAPS most recent crime statistics, the Northern Cape has seen a generally upward trend in the category of crime which includes drug-related offences, with drug-related crime having increased by 41.9% in the last three years. International best practice in law enforcement, advocates for the need for specialized drug-units, and the data suggests that countries with such units have higher success rates than those that don’t, like South Africa.
The DA is of the express view that a policy shift, real action and leadership within SAPS is needed. Re-establish the Narcotics Unit, and give citizens the drug-free South Africa they deserve to live in.
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