Cleveland SAPS commended for fast reaction
Police officers were commended for their rapid response to a report about someone thought to be in possession of a rhino horn.
Cleveland SAPS police officers received the complaint last Sunday.
According to Constable Mpho Mashakane, the Cleveland SAPS communications officer, when police officers arrived at the address given, they discovered the horn was fake.
“It was plastic and shaped like a horn with papers filled inside,” said Const Mashakane.
While police officers were at the premises, residents expressed their delight at the Cleveland SAPS’ fast reaction.
“Although the horn turned out to be fake, the SAPS is to be commended for taking the matter seriously when it was reported to them,” said Ms Bernadette Wentzel, the Sector 3 Crime Forum chairperson and the treasurer of the We Love Malvern Community Forum.
Over the past two years, there have been several people in the Cleveland SAPS precinct, especially in the Cyrildene and Bruma area, found in possession of real rhino horns and elephant tusks.
Early last year, police officers arrested three men at a flat at the corner of Hettie Street and Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene, for possession of rhino horn. Days later a woman was arrested in Derrick Avenue for possession of ivory.
In July last year, another arrest was made in Cyrildene. A man (60) was found in possession of an elephant tusk.
Last week Ms Wentzel said, “The senseless and savage prolonged deaths of these creatures for their horns and tusks should never be tolerated. We therefore request citizens be mindful of taking part in any such activity. Without a market or any form of criminal activity support, these poor creatures would not undergo the cruelty imposed by humanity.”
Having come across and watching a video of how a rhino is slaughtered, Ms Wentzel said, “It is one of the most barbaric ways to die. I saw a video where a baby rhino died from starvation. I confirmed that there is a trend of making fake rhino horns. While I am glad the horn found was fake, such a trend promotes the slaying of rhinos because it indirectly keeps the savage market for rhino horns alive,” she said.
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