DA challenges Minister to re-establish anti-drug and gang units

The DA notes comments made by the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa and President Jacob Zuma during the weekend on the impact of drugs on the youth in South Africa. We challenge the Minister and President Zuma to put their words into action and re-establish the anti-drug and gang units disbanded by the then Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. Drug-related crime has increased by 181% from 62 689 in 2003/2004 to 176 307 in 2011/2012 since these units were disbanded in 2004.

At the weekend, the Minister said that drug crime and abuse is a serious problem and could pose a bigger threat to the country's future than HIV/Aids. He also noted that there are increasing links between drugs and gangs. These sentiments were echoed by President Zuma during a visit to Soweto yesterday.

If the Minister and the President are genuinely concerned about drug abuse in South Africa, they must re-establish the anti-drug and gang units. Sadly their words ring hollow in face of the reality of the disbandment in 2004 of the South African Police Service (SAPS) anti-drug unit, the Narcotics Bureau, drug related crime and abuse in South Africa has increased exponentially. In the last year alone, over 170 000 drug-related crimes were reported, a massive increase from around 150 000 the previous year. Not one of those international-best practice units has been re-established.

This is why in the DA-run City of Cape Town specialised Gang and Substance Abuse Units within the metro were established to crack down on drugs and gangs. Last year, the Unit undertook 283 crack-down operations resulting in 387 arrests. Metro police members, unfortunately, only have legal powers of arrest and search and seizure within their area of jurisdiction.

They do not have powers to investigate crime and have to hand over criminal suspects to SAPS for investigation and prosecution. The lack of a designated anti-drug unit within SAPS means that the work of the City of Cape Town's specialised Gang and Substance Abuse Units is somewhat restricted. It is crucial for the Western Cape, and the whole of South Africa that the SAPS anti-drug and gang units are re-established in order to better crack down on drugs and gangs.

Although drug crime also has social aspects, the police play an important role in taking drugs and drug dealers off the streets. This requires a specialised, highly trained unit to target the problem.

Drugs destroy lives, dodge our criminal justice system and affect all South Africans whether they have family members who are addicts or they are victims of drug-induced crimes. The Minister has for too long ignored this problem and it is about time government put their words into action.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, June 18 2013

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