Almost 10,000 arrests in Western Cape since 16 December as cops declare #CrimeMustFall

29 December 2015 - 14:54 By Thulani Gqirana
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Police officer. File photo.
Police officer. File photo.
Image: Gallo Images/ Thinkstock

With only three days left in the year, police in the Western Cape are pulling out all the stops to ensure holidaymakers go into the New Year sober and safe.

And the City of Cape Town is also working around the clock to enforce bylaws during the festive season.

Over 200 police reservists had been deployed to various areas for this period, at a cost of around R3m, police said on Tuesday. 

Western Cape acting police commissioner Lieutenant-General Garry Kruser detailed the province’s plans on Tuesday, which included the continued lockdown of gang hotspots and policing of New Year celebrations.

#CrimeMustFall

Under the theme #CrimeMustFall, he said the measures also included foot, mounted and motorcycle patrols at beaches and shopping malls.

Kruser said the holiday times resulted in excessive drinking, and they would be on hand to limit this.

He said they had 16 000 operational members, and they would try and deploy the maximum members during this time. 

Director of Policing at the City of Cape Town, Robbie Robberts, said they were using an integrated approach with the South African Police Service to enforce laws in the area.

He said the focus areas for the City of Cape Town were all 12 priority beaches, including Harmony Park, Strand and Hout Bay.

"In all these beaches, we are having a venue operational centre."

He said they were adamant about enforcing the law when it came to liquor at the beach.

"By confiscating liquor, we save the lives of people."

He said the two most problematic beaches were Muizenberg and Strand. 

Kruser said police would also be on hand to ensure safety at all events emanating from the release of matric results.

10,000 arrests

Almost 10,000 people have been arrested in the Western Cape since the start of the festive season, and the police are not done yet.

The arrests, made since December 16, were mostly drug and liquor related, acting provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Garry Kruser said on Tuesday.

So far, 2 560 had been arrested for possession of drugs and 43 for possession of firearms and ammunition. Almost 250 people had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police made another 2 219 liquor-related arrests.

Between December 16 and Tuesday, police had searched 33 300 people, held 79 roadblocks, and raided 250 shebeens and taverns. 

Police seized:

  • 5.4kg of tik;
  • 1 676kg of dagga;
  • 2 956 Mandrax tablets;
  • 49 firearms;
  • 7 543 rounds of ammunition;
  • 9 935 litres of alcohol;

Kruser said illegal shebeens contributed to the increase of crime in the province.

"We have the situation under control. Last night was a good night again with arrests. But what is more important is the absence of crime in certain gang-related areas, since we implemented lockdown procedures yesterday."

Source: News24

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