The City of Cape Town said its law enforcement agencies made 279 arrests this past week, bringing the total for the month to a worrying 915.
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One of the most recent incidents gave a CCTV operator front-row seats to a break-in at a business premises in Bellville in the early hours of Monday morning.
At approximately 2:30am, enforcement agencies were activated, leading to the arrest of three suspects.
‘The brazenness of criminals is nothing new, but to perpetrate a crime in full view of CCTV cameras takes some doing, unless, of course, they were unaware, in which case, they now have time behind bars to rethink their decisions,’ said City’s MMC for Safety and Security JP Smith.
‘We speak regularly about the enforcement successes and the number of arrests made, which is a feather in our staff’s cap. But for those 900 plus individuals who have been taken into custody this month, the potential consequences should be of concern,’ he added.
On Sunday, 21 January, a suspect began running when he noticed metro police officers on patrol in Tafelsig in Mitchell’s Plain.
Following the chase that ensued, the 31-year-old was apprehended shortly after and a 38 special revolver, without a serial number, and nine rounds of ammunition were found in his possession.
‘On the same day, metro police officers arrested a 20-year-old suspect for the possession of 76 bankies of dagga, nearly 50 mandrax tablets and three bottles of cough syrup, for which he could not produce proof of a prescription’.
The City added that the department made 67 arrests this past week and issued 4 172 fines.
On the roads, a total of 60 161 transgressions were recorded by traffic officers, 141 vehicles were impounded and 640 warrants of arrest were executed. Officers also arrested 34 motorists during this past week for drunk driving and one arrest for reckless and negligent driving.
City’s law enforcement officers also conducted 540 enforcement operations this past week, leading to the arrest of 177 suspects and the issuing of 4 330 fines.
Additionally, the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 1 996 incidents. Of these, 743 were medical calls, 236 noise complaints, 164 fires, 117 physical assault cases, 40 domestic violence cases and 60 motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents.
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