A group of burglary suspects couldn’t break out of trouble when they drove into a City of Cape Town Traffic Services road block in Bothasig on Friday, 26 February 2016.

Officers stopped them after noticing that their van had no number plates. A search of the vehicle revealed an array of housebreaking tools including balaclavas, gloves and battery-operated grinders. It has since been determined that two of the five suspects have criminal records for housebreaking and other crimes.

 

The City’s Traffic Service arrested 29 motorists for drunk driving in Bothasig and 11 others during an operation focusing on illegal street racing in Eerste River on Sunday, 28 February 2016. One of them had a breath-alcohol content of 1,71 mg per 1 000 ml, which is seven times the legal limit. 

 

The road block also served up three suspects for possession of narcotics and resulted in the confiscation of 449 mandrax tablets and 12 dagga ‘stoppe’, while another motorist was arrested for assault.

 

‘We often take flak from motorists about the inconvenience of road blocks. The arrests this past weekend serve as a reminder of how important road blocks are as an enforcement tool. While primarily focused on road safety, officers are also on the lookout for other illegal activity. I’m very interested to see what the investigation into the housebreaking suspects reveals and won’t be surprised if this gang is behind a rash of incidents. Who knows how many crimes they may still have gotten away with had they not been caught at that vehicle checkpoint,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.