WARRANTOFFICERSANDER

The LCS yard owners gave verbal consent and made space available for police to search their containers without causing damage to expensive Scania cabs inside.

“they had our working relationship and they consented to us searching their containers as well”

Warrant Officer Sander did not technically need permission to open and search the container, but asked permission out of politeness and due to concerns about irregular questions related to the container.

“Technically I would not have to have permission to open that container, but we were being polite and we asked permission. They had also raised the concern that there was irregular questions asked about that container.”

Under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, Warrant Officer Sander had the authority to search the container, and had full consent to do so.

“in terms of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, I had the authority to search that container. But I also had their full consent to search that container.”

Warrant Officer Sander handled evidence packaging on site and did the sealing and swabbing of exhibit bags for DNA testing himself.

“I removed it because I was the crown scene manager. I was handling that exhibit, and I packaged it in an exhibit bag as an exhibit”

Evidence bags at the scene are handled methodically to identify origin and prevent contamination, with each bag processed separately to show who packed it and when.

“So what I needed to do was show how each bag was packed differently. So to some, it is different people packing bags. I need to see is it one person, is it different syndicates, different groups. And then each bag I then package separately. I do not put them all in a pile and then just sort them into it.”

Warrant Officer Sander described a presumption test for cocaine where he does a NIK test on a small powder sample, which indicates suspicion but lab confirmation is needed.

“I do a NIK test. It is a presumptive test. I know how to do it. Take a tiny bit of powder, put it in the item, crack the skin, change colour, celebrate. We know we are positive. It is still suspected Cocaine, though. The lab must still give me their indefinite on that.”

Narcotic presumption test kits are self-obtained, usually purchased at personal cost, not supplied by SAPS ordinarily.

“That is one of the other tools, as explained earlier, self-obtained ... I believe these were obtained during some of the training interventions that I attended. And the facilitator would then give us whatever they had to use.”

Warrant Officer Sander used a cocaine wipe to perform a presumptive test by wiping powder and noting color change; he used gloves due to the chemical's hazards.

“I used a wipe. I do not know if we used a sachette test, but that was a Cocaine wipe. You just wipe it, and the whole thing changes colour. It is phenomenal, but it does stink and burn your hand a little bit, so you must use gloves.”

Warrant Officer Sander explains that narcotics identification training and guidelines are provided to student constables and the courses progress beyond that level; students are taught not to touch substances as they react in specific ways.

“I have sight of the basic narcotics identification programme, which is presented to the student constables, and then there is the basic narcotics identification course, and then the courses go up from there. I have sight of it. And, as Commissioner has asked now, the guidelines on handling and touching those substances are taught to the students. Do not touch it, it does this, it reacts with you like this, these are uppers, these are downers, and the hazards of this stuff go with them.”

Warrant Officer Sander described that electronic sniffing devices once existed but are no longer available for use by police; a trained narcotic dog gives an indicator at a scene and is still used.

“There used to be electronic devices, sniffer devices, but I am aware that they do not exist any more, or not available to be used, because that device would have been able to touch it and give me an indicator.”

Warrant Officer Sander stated that a normal police officer is expected to call a trained drug dog unit to a narcotics scene if not qualified to identify drugs themselves.

“If I did not have a NIK test, hey guys, call a drug dog, let the drug dog run. The drug dog would sit, that is an indicator. Bark or whatever it did, that is an indicator.”