Police Parade punctures crime

MBOMBELA – The group, consisting of SAPS officials, by-law inspectors, traffic control, home- affairs officials and the narcotics unit, set out their march in two groups cordoning Short Brown and Curry streets off.

As they walked past street vendors and shops, they did random body searches and checked the documentation and licensing.

“We are making sure that no one sells products on the street without a permit, as these vendors often set up shop illegally. Doing so not only affects legitimate businesses, but also creates an unnecessary obstacle on the sidewalks and space where vehicles have right of way,” said Mbombela police spokesman, Capt Dawie Pretorius.

During the raid, they also made sure that those dealing in second-hand goods and repairing electronics are compliant with the law and have the proper paperwork in place, to ensure that they are not enabling the laundering of stolen goods.

“Anyone who works on laptops or cellphones, or deals in second-hand goods, ought to have a permit from the police,” said Pretorius.

The officials received a tip-off of a possible dagga dealer, and subsequently rummaged through possible hiding places, leaving no sewer cover unturned.

They eventually found a dagga joint on top of an electric box, but since it was not found on anyone’s person, no arrest could be made regarding the find.

“We do this quite often, at least once a week or so, as a proactive method of crime prevention,” said Pretorius.

Home affairs in turn checked for passports, in an effort to curb illegal immigration. The last thing to investigate was the liquor licences of businesses selling alcohol.

After a fruitful morning, seven undocumented foreigners were arrested and taken into custody, and were set to appear in court the next day.