In Gauteng, only Krugersdorp Police Station has a drug-testing kit
"Communities cannot be held to ransom because police lack the resources that are needed to fight the ongoing battle against drugs."
The DA Shadow MEC for Community Safety, Kate Lorimer, said she was shocked to learn that only one police station in the whole of Gauteng has a drug-testing kit.
This was revealed by the MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane in a written reply to questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. The MEC indicated that currently only the Krugersdorp police station has a drug testing kit.
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“These drug-testing kits are important as they help police identify suspects under the influence of narcotics. Substance abuse, especially the use of drugs by our young people, is a serious problem in our communities,” Lorimer said in a media statement.
She will be tabling questions to the MEC for Community Safety to ascertain the following:
• How many police stations have requested drug-testing kits?
• How long will it take for these drug-testing kits to be delivered?
• How many drug-testing kits are made available to each police station that have requested the kits?
• Where stations have been issued with drug-testing kits, what impact has this had on substance abuse in the community?
• Where members of the community have tested positive for drugs, what assistance has been offered to help these community members?
“Communities cannot be held to ransom because police lack the resources that are needed to fight the ongoing battle against drugs.
“As the DA we believe that we can only win the fight against drug abuse if we use every tool at our disposal. Poorly resourced police stations cannot be used as an excuse for why drug dealers still roam our streets.”
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