Operation yields arrests

The Cape Town Central police had a busy weekend as they conducted Operation Fiela phase two projects.

Operation Fiela, which means “sweep” in Sesotho, is an ongoing joint operation by the South African Police Service and includes some other departments of the government.

Among others, this operation is mainly aimed at ridding the country of illegal weapons, drug dens, prostitution rings and other illegal activities.

The first Operation Fiela was launched in 2015 with a focus on illegal immigrants and Operation Fiela Two was launched earlier this year to remove criminals from society and close down the places from which they operate.

On Friday May 25, Cape Town Central police officers, as part of Operation Fiela Two, approached two men in Buitenkant Street who had been previously arrested for possession of dangerous weapons.

Officers scanned the fingerprints of the two men into the system and found that they were wanted for possession of presumed stolen property.

Officers also caught four men wanted for possession of car breaking implements by scanning their fingerprints; two men for theft; two men for defeating the ends of justice; and two men for possession of drugs.

All of the men had been previously arrested.

Also on Friday May 25, Central police arrested a man for attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

A complainant parked his motorbike in Kloof Street and when he returned he saw a man on his bike and managed to catch the man.

On the same day, a man was arrested for fraud in Parade Street after he was found with an electronic card reader.

Between Friday May 25 and Sunday May 27, Central police arrested four people for driving under the influence of liquor, near Wale Street, Long Street, Somerset Road and Table Bay Road.

Over the same weekend, they arrested 49 people for possession of drugs such as, dagga, tik pipes, cocaine, unga, heroine, tik and mandrax powder near Hout Street, Adderley Street, Strand Street, Buitengracht, Chapel Street, the railway station and station deck.