In its efforts to curb the narcotics trade in the Mother City, the City of Cape Town’s metro police have reported a marked increase in drug seizures, partially thanks to its highly-trained K9 crime-fighting dog unit.
This comes as the law enforcement agency recently added four new members to its 12-member unit, which was launched in 2009 ahead of the Fifa World Cup.
Also read: Metro Police K9 Unit assist in hundreds of arrests and drug busts
While the unit is trained to detect narcotics and explosives, as well as to search for missing people, the new recruits’ training will focus on drugs and explosives.
Meet the new recruits:
- Tina: A two-year-old German Shepherd
- Gizmo: A 14-month-old Belgian Malinois
- Djenko: A 14-month-old Belgian Malinois
- Magnum: A 16-month-old Malinois/German Shepherd cross
‘It really is something to watch our K9s in action. They have added so much value to our fight against crime, and the drug trade in particular, over the past 15 years and I look forward to seeing how the new recruits acquit themselves,’ says City’s MMC for Safety and Security JP Smith.
‘They have big paws to fill when you consider the likes of Savage, Troy and Xena, who were just a few of the legendary K9s in our kennels over the years.’
Smith added that in addition to their crime-fighting abilities, the K9 unit members are among the best brand ambassadors and play a key role in building relationships between the enforcement services and communities.
Between July 2023 and March 31, 2024, the City’s metro police and law enforcement departments witnessed a marked increase in both drug seizures and general arrests with the assistance of the ‘paw patrol’.
According to the stats, arrests increased from 7 494 to 9 328 in the past financial year compared with the previous year, while units of drugs – most commonly mandrax, tik, dagga and heroin – increased from 48 178 to 69 852 in the same period.
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Picture: Screenshot from video