THE police have been out in full force in Kempton on Tuesday afternoon during an operation to fight crime in the area.
The operation started at 2pm and went on well into the night. Follow-up operations were conducted the next two days.
The joint operation included the whole of Gauteng SAPS, including units from as far as Sandton, Brixton and Mamelodi. The metro police also joined the operation.
The officers were divided into four groups which all had their mandates for the day. The first group dealt with drugs and drug dealing, the second was in charge of by-laws, the third searched buildings and flats for things such as counterfeit goods and illegal immigrants and the last conducted road blocks around the area.
See more photographs of the operation here
The police’s dog unit was brought along for the drugs search, which started on North Rand Road. By about 4pm an undisclosed amount of drugs was seized by the cops.
“On West Street, we checked the compliance of shops with by-laws and searched for documents such as trading licences,” Kempton Police’s spokesperson, Capt Jethro Mtshali, explained.
However, most shops had quickly closed along this infamous street as soon as they got hold of the information about the raids. By 4pm the street was almost empty as if no activities had taken place that day, and most shops were closed, except a few spares, food and furniture stores that were obviously operating legally.
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Back at the police station, one man was booked i after being arrested for being in possession of matchboxes stuffed with weed.
Police also made a turn at the taxi rank on Pretoria Road to check for drugs, drivers’ and taxi licences, much to the dismay of the taxi drivers.
The operation was done as part of an effort by police and law enforcers to create more visibility around Kempton Park.
