JMPD’s Narcotics Unit gets more teeth
22 November 2016
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Herman Mashaba has declared war on drugs and crime, saying there would be nowhere to hide for druglords and other criminals.
Speaking at the launch of the re-energised Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s K9 Narcotics and Tactical Unit at the JMPD Academy in Booysens on Monday, November 21, Mayor Mashaba said for Johannesburg to achieve 5% economic growth by 2021, organised crime, drug trafficking, car hijackings and armed robberies would have to be tackled head-on.
The unit consists of 70 handpicked JMPD officers who are assisted by 14 specially trained dogs. Eight unmarked vehicles were also unveiled at the launch. An additional 19 dogs are currently undergoing training and assessment in explosives and narcotics detection.
Several crime and drug hotspots have been identified and will be targeted. These include Hillbrow, Ennerdale, Eldorado Park, Westbury and parts of Soweto.
“We looked at the best-performing officers with the highest level of integrity to fill this K9-Narcotics Unit. The unit will also be capacitated with high-calibre firearms and high-performance vehicles.”
The Mayor commended Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety Cllr Michael Sun for responding promptly to his election promise to declare war on drugs and crime.
“On 30 May, I promised that if elected Mayor I would create a specialised drugs unit within the JMPD. Today that promise becomes a reality,” Mayor Mashaba said.
“It gives me great pleasure to be part of the City’s efforts to introduce new initiatives that tackle the scourge of drugs in our society.”
The launch was also attended by Health and Social Development MMC Cllr Mpho Phalatse, Community Development MMC Cllr Nonhlanhla Sifumba, Chairman of Section 79 Committees Cllr Hilton Masera and top JMPD and Emergency Management Services officials.
Cllr Sun said the unit had already recorded some success since August. “We have handpicked the best officers. My appeal to young men and women: Put your best foot forward. Together we can eliminate drugs and crime,” he said.
The K9 Unit has over the past two months recovered 50 hijacked vehicles and 13 illegal firearms, and made 114 drug-related arrests.
The Mayor said after years of being plagued by crime and drugs, the gloves were off. He said the unit would take the fight to the crooks, especially the druglords targeting schoolchildren.
“Lives have been lost, families have been broken, communities torn apart and people left broken-hearted and hopeless. I’ve seen the spark die in too many young people’s eyes. As a parent, I have had enough of how drugs are destroying the lives of many of our young people.
“Too often their schools are the street corners and their educators are the druglords. We cannot accept criminals taking over communities and running them like their own personal empires.”
He said the link between the lack of jobs and drug abuse was staggering. Whereas unemployment in Johannesburg rose to 30%, drug abuse cases in Bosmont rose from 95 in 2005 to 1 515 in 2015.
But in the more affluent suburbs of Randburg, drug abuse cases rose slowly from 75 in 2005 to 114 in 2015, Mayor Mashaba said.
He said through the recently adopted 10-Point Plan, the city would be able to grow the economy and create more jobs. “Johannesburg has to become the engine room of our country’s economic growth because when Johannesburg works, South Africa works.”