Metro police in Tshwane took its safety campaign to a school in Mamelodi this week and searched learners for contraband.
At the school which was not named to protect the learners, the law enforcement officers confiscated a knife, toy guns and five small bags of dagga from some of the learners on Monday.
At least 500 learners underwent searches during the operation, which resulted in the suspension of two learners pending their disciplinary hearings.
Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) spokesperson, Snr. Superintendent Isaac Mahamba hailed the operation, a part of their social crime prevention strategy, a success.
In a separate incident on Monday, Mahamba said, Region 1 Sector 1 members arrested one person in Winterveld who was selling alcohol to minors at a spaza shop.
“The spaza shop owner was arrested for trading in alcohol without a liquor licence. He was also issued with a fine and the liquor was confiscated,” he said.
Mahamba warned that the metro police would continue to conduct anti-crime operations to keep the residents safe.
Last week, the metro police closed down four spaza shops at Lotus Gardens, west of Pretoria, for operating without permits.
This was during an operation conducted in response to a complaint from community members about a “strangely” red Coca-Cola beverage bought from one of the spaza shops.
Mahamba said the incident caused outrage in the community: “Samples of the food beverages were taken for testing and to confirm if they are from a valid supplier. The chief of TMPD met with community members and assured them that the TMPD is investigating these spaza shops.
“She also mentioned that the residents of Tshwane must know that the TMPD is taking the sale and distribution of these food products seriously, joint operations with the department of health and other role players will be conducted continuously.”
Pretoria News