Cape Town - A weekly operation done by City law enforcement teams resulted in more than 350 arrests. The metro police and the law enforcement departments arrested 358 suspects and issued 55 085 fines.
Law enforcement officers conducted more than 500 operations, making 223 arrests and issuing 3297 fines with Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) officers accounting for nearly 200 of the arrests made.
Metro police arrested 79 suspects, which included 34 for illegal possession of drugs, seven for driving under the influence of alcohol, and issued 4 351 fines.
Traffic services issued 47437 fines, arrested 56 suspects – 44 for driving under the influence of alcohol and 12 for reckless and negligent driving. The team also impounded 227 public transport vehicles and executed 1 158 warrants of arrest.
The Public Emergency Communications Centre (PECC) logged 2 906 incidents, of which 1 232 were medical emergency-related calls and 194 physical assault incidents. There were 80 vehicle accidents, while 39 accidents involved pedestrians.
According to the City, among those arrested was a 30-year-old caught in possession of a firearm at a house in Manenberg. In an unrelated case, metro police officers teamed up with their SAPS counterparts to arrest two suspects for the illegal possession of a firearm in Philippi East.
One of them was in possession of a 9mm pistol and an empty magazine. The two, aged 25 and 27, were arrested and kept at Philippi East SAPS for further investigation.
Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, acknowledged the work that was done to assist those in need over the long weekend.
“Our officers worked around the clock during the long weekend to assist those in need on the City’s roads and to ensure a safer environment. Unfortunately, there are still those who choose to break the law and endanger the lives of others.
“The high number of physical assault cases recorded by the Public Emergency Communication Centre is also worrying but not surprising as alcohol abuse is often associated with an increased level of violence.
“We need to start taking a far tougher stance against crime and lawlessness. Our staff do as much as they can but speedy and effective convictions are needed to send out a clear message,” said Smith.