Cape Town to spend R20 million on drug crackdown

The City of Cape Town plans to set aside R20 million to crack down on gangs and the drug trade, it was reported on Thursday.

The Cape Times reported that this budget was four times the amount spent in 2011.

Safety and Security mayoral committee member JP Smith said the SA Police Service's response to the gang crisis showed a low conviction rate.

He had decided to bolster the city's six-member gang task force to fourteen members in the coming weeks.

According to the report, the unit had made 143 drug and gang-related arrests since its creation in December.

Community safety MEC Dan Plato said specialised units had proven to be an effective strategy "to investigate, detect arrest and ensure successful convictions".