The City’s enforcement agencies made 83 arrests for various offences including drunk driving, possession of drugs, dangerous weapons, domestic violence, assault, fraud and public violence this past week.
Nearly 70 000 fines were issued in the province for various transgressions of the National Road Traffic Act and the City’s Traffic By-Law.
The statistics for the past week are an indication of increased public activity and movement, particularly on the roads.
On the roads, Cape Town Traffic Services arrested 19 suspects – seven for driving under the influence of alcohol, four for reckless and negligent driving and eight others on various charges.
Officers also impounded 192 vehicles and 51 cellphones during various operations, and issued 63 268 fines for various transgressions of the National Road Traffic Act and the City’s Traffic By-Law.
The Metro Police Department arrested 34 suspects on charges ranging from drunk driving to possession of stolen goods, drugs, and assault.
On Saturday, August 22 Metro Police officers arrested three suspects for dealing in drugs during crime prevention patrols in Kensington, Maitland, Milnerton, Macassar and Khayelitsha. Officers also confiscated:
The City’s Law Enforcement Department made 30 arrests in the last week for possession of stolen goods and metal theft, among others, and issued 4 512 fines.
In terms of protest actions, seven incidents were recorded, bringing the overall number of protest action since July 11, 2020 to 113, with 87 arrests.
“We are seeing a steady increase in the number of arrests, but also traffic enforcement as the roads become busier and general public activity picks up. It is also likely that drunk driving statistics will increase further in the coming weeks, particularly as we near month end. It’s unfortunate, but it appears that the more things change, the more they stay the same,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
“We are seeing a slowdown in the number of protests, but it continues to take up a lot of resources that could be better utilised in other areas that require a policing presence. The City will keep a close watch on the cases of those arrested for public violence. As we have indicated before, effective investigations and prosecutions are the only way that we will stem the tide of violent protests that have become all too commonplace in our city, and which can simply not be tolerated,” added Alderman Smith.
Picture: City of Cape Town