Third of Eastern Cape’s drug crimes occur in Nelson Mandela Bay

More than a third of drug-related crimes reported by the Eastern Cape police in the first quarter of 2022 occurred in Nelson Mandela Bay.

And officials are increasingly pointing to links between the prevalence of drugs and violent crimes.

This category of crime registered a sharp increase in the province over the first three months of 2022, compared to the same period over the past four years, according to crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2021/2022 police financial year.

Drug-related cases also surged, with a total of 3,019 busts reported by the police across the Eastern Cape between January and March.

Of particular concern to Nelson Mandela Bay residents is that 1,115 of the province’s drug-related crimes over this period took place in their backyard.

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed the police’s concerns over the prevalence of drugs, saying they had allocated additional resources to deal with the scourge.

“Of course, the level at which drugs are circulating and abused in city centres, townships and villages, especially by young people, is a serious cause for concern.

“The OR Tambo district, Buffalo City Municipality and Nelson Mandela Bay have been identified as hotspots at the moment,” Kinana said.

He said that the police units in the affected areas were looking into participating in special projects and campaigns with other stakeholders and government departments, including community safety and social development.

When referring to drug-related crimes in crime statistics, the police record incidents where police action led to the recovery of drugs, where arrests were made for dealing in drugs or where a suspect was found to be in possession of drugs.

Drug-related crimes increased from 1,038 cases to 1,115 cases in the Bay between the reported period this year and the corresponding period last year.

Though some police stations in the metro showed a decrease in cases, several others showed a spike.

The biggest increase was recorded in New Brighton, where reported cases increased from 78 to 153.

The Mount Road and Motherwell police stations also showed significant increases, from 113 to 151 and 24 to 61, respectively.

The biggest drop in reported cases was recorded in Bethelsdorp, where cases decreased from 149 to 66, while cases in Walmer plunged from 96 to 31.

However, this does not necessarily translate directly to less drug activity, but merely shows that fewer drug busts took place.

Kinana said it was encouraging to see the number of crimes detected by police in the statistics because it highlighted the importance of police action in the fight against drugs and firearms.

Provincial community safety department spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the department had declared war on drugs because officials believed they were a significant contributing factor to other crimes, particularly violent crimes.

“We are seriously concerned about the influence drugs and alcohol have on other criminal activities.

“We have seen a spike in violent crimes, like murder, rape and assault, and many of these incidents are driven by drugs and alcohol,” Binqose said.

He said the department was planning several interventions, including conducting raids in areas identified as hotspots, among them Central in Gqeberha.

“Gqeberha’s Central has long been a hive of drug activity and our department will collaborate with various entities, including the SAPS and the Liquor Board, to plan raids in strategic places that could have a significant impact on the availability of drugs.”  

People and organisations in the Bay involved in the treatment of drug users said they were not surprised to learn that the metro was responsible for a third of the province’s drug-related cases, because the city was rife with drug peddlers and abusers.

A staff member at a private drug rehabilitation facility on the outskirts of Gqeberha said the availability of drugs affected its patients’ ability to remain sober once they had completed their treatment.

“We have anywhere between five and 16 patients here at any given time and we have had some wonderful success stories.

“Unfortunately, we have also seen the same patients come back three or four times after they have relapsed,”  the staff member, who declined to be named and asked that the centre also not be identified, said.

“The best way to stay clean is for a patients to remove themselves from the environment that led to their drug abuse in the first place, but that is often not possible.

“And with drugs being so prevalent in and around our city its often just a matter of time before they fall back into their old patterns.”

A government social worker, who asked not to be named, said some rehabilitation facilities were bursting at the seams, and drug users who could not  afford private care facilities were often left without treatment, or with inadequate support after their treatment.

“Relapses among [people in] poorer communities are so commonplace and, while government facilities are doing their best to help these people, there are simply too many patients and not enough resources.

“As long as drugs are available on the streets we will see new users and relapses on a daily basis.

“The cycle will never end,” she said.   

HeraldLIVE