Cape Town – The South African Police Service (SAPS) has reported progress in its safer festive season campaign, with over 75 000 arrests since October 15.
The campaign targeted various offences, including undocumented foreigners, drunk driving, and assault.
Key statistics include 11 000 arrests of undocumented foreigners, efforts to deport them, and actions against 4 488 drunk drivers, 6 700 assault suspects, and nearly 5 000 individuals for common assault, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
Police also conducted extensive operations, including 3 364 roadblocks, 200 000 stop-and-searches, and 26 569 vehicle checkpoints, she said.
#sapsWC A multi-disciplinary approach to crime fighting as part of #SaferFestiveSeason operations yielded excellent results with more than 835 suspects arrested following a well-executed Inter-Provincial Cross-Border crime combatting operation. The collaborated effort was held… pic.twitter.com/Ia1wczq1WQ
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 26, 2023
The focus on murder, rape, and gender-based violence led to 6 244 tracking and tracing operations.
Notably, 560 people were arrested for murder, 604 for attempted murder, 470 for rape, 408 for business robberies, and 561 for illegal firearm possession.
The campaign also addressed alcohol-related crimes, with 500,000 compliance inspections at various establishments and over 17,800 arrests for illegal liquor trading in December’s first 22 days.
The police emphasised responsible liquor trading as non-negotiable.
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Picture: Twitter/@SAPoliceService
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
