Cape Town - The arrest of nearly 200 suspects for a range of offences in the past week was just a taste of things to come, the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement agencies have vowed as they prepare for the festive season.
The City arrested 170 suspects for a range of offences, including theft, drunk driving, and drug possession in recent days.
In the latest incident on Monday, the Metro Police K9 Unit arrested two suspects who were caught in the act of discharging a firearm in Red River Road, Manenberg.
Officers turned into the road just as one of the suspects opened fire. They arrested the suspects, who tried to make a getaway, and confiscated a 9mm pistol and five rounds of ammunition. The suspects, aged 17 and 24, would appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court soon.
Metro Police officers also arrested 50 other suspects over the past few days, 29 for drunk driving.
The Metro police was assisted by 46 Metro Police trainee officers who will be deployed to bulk up the City’s enforcement capacity over the festive season. Officers arrested 21 other suspects for possession of drugs and stolen goods, one of whom was a 39-year-old woman who was caught stealing paving bricks at the Delft Cemetery at approximately 4:25 on Monday morning.
A few hours later, two men were arrested by the City’s Special Investigations Unit for selling City-owned blue refuse bags at the corner of Rosmead and Lansdowne Road. The unit was continuing its investigation to trace the source of the bags.
Meanwhile, the City’s Law Enforcement Department has impounded its 16th truck, used for illegal dumping, since 1 October, during an operation in Mitchells Plain, Philippi and surrounding areas.
The Law Enforcement Department was informed of a noticeable increase in large trucks delivering loads of refuse and building materials to the Coastal Park landfill site, an indication that the amended Integrated Waste Management By-law was serving as a deterrent.
“If you are going to involve yourself in illegal activities, you run the risk of being caught and having a not so jolly festive season. As is customary, we are increasing our staff complement to meet the demand for policing over this time of year and we will work closely with the South African Police Service who are the primary agency responsible for crime prevention,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
“Alcohol confiscations from beaches and other public spaces continues to be a big focus area every summer and this year is no different, so you have been warned,” said Smith.
On the roads, the City’s Traffic Service led the charge with a week-long enforcement offensive across the city. Officers arrested 125 suspects, the majority for driving under the influence of alcohol. Officers also arrested 19 motorists for outstanding warrants and served warrants totalling nearly R350 000. On the N2 highway, 37 pedestrians were redirected to pedestrian bridges during a two-hour pedestrian safety operation last week Thursday.
“Road safety is a crucial cog in the festive season safety plan because that’s where most of our fatalities occur during this time of year. This past weekend already we saw a number of fatal collisions. We have the enforcement tools, but we rely on the public to help us by ensuring that they obey the rules, check that their vehicles are mechanically sound, and refrain from drinking and driving,” added Smith.
African News Agency