Cape Town - Law enforcement agencies in Cape Town were kept busy over the festive season with figures showing that 1203 people were arrested over this period.
In addition their public emergency centre took almost 50 000 calls.
The arrests were recorded for the period of December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022.
Of the 1 203 arrests, 482 were made during December and an additional 224 arrests were made in the first two weeks of January. A total of 18 firearms, 91 rounds of ammunition and 81 dangerous weapons were confiscated, resulting in 68 arrests.
Metro police made 322 arrests, 46 of which were related to drunken driving, and confiscated 35 rounds of ammunition and four firearms.
Traffic officers took 4 997 motorists into custody for outstanding warrants and 175 arrests were made for driving while intoxicated. They also issued 396 297 fines and impounded 630 public transport vehicles.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “There is great interest in our readiness for the festive season each year, and so it is only fair to show the public what was achieved during this period.”
The City’s public emergency communication centre was inundated with calls this festive season and fielded 49 735 calls in December. Of these, 8143 were calls for medical assistance and 1479 were trauma-related calls.
Metro police issued 18838 fines, and 6 455 by-law fines were also issued during this period.
“These statistics tell only one side of the story. Apart from the enforcement actions that result in arrests or confiscations, our staff also engage in public education and awareness, and are deployed specifically to save residents from harm.
“Our disaster management department also worked tirelessly on the beaches and other public spaces to promote safety, ensure adherence to Covid-19 protocols and recently they also resumed their Firewise campaign,” Smith said.