Eleven people have been arrested in crime prevention operations targeting drug-related crimes and robberies. In a joint initiative held on Friday morning, police and the National Mobile Train Unit were conducting covert operations in the CBD area and ‘hit’ premises in Forbes Street where a group of men had converged.
The group broke up and began to flee when they saw police approaching. The officers gave chase and arrested five members of the group. While chasing down the suspects, one of them pulled out a knife and attempted to stab a police officer. The officer drew his service pistol and fired a warning shot into the ground. The bullet ricocheted and hit the suspect in the toe. The man was arrested and taken for medical attention, after which he was charged and detained. He faces charges of assault on a police officer, as well as possession of a dangerous weapon. The other four face charges of possession of dagga and mandrax.
A similar police operation was held in the CBD on Thursday, where police arrested six people for possession of dagga, possession of counterfeit DVDs and possession of dangerous weapons. A small amount of dagga, seven mandrax tablets, 17 DVDs and two knives were seized during the operation.
