Crime decreases week on week in the City

The number of arrests for various transgressions decreased by 141 cases week on week, according to the City of Cape Town.

The City’s law enforcement agencies arrested 121 people during the week of Sunday December 25 to Saturday December 31, while they had arrested 262 people in the week of Monday December 19 to Sunday December 25.

We previously reported that 45 of the 262 arrests made during the week leading up to Christmas had been for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The number of fines by traffic services and incidents reported in the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) had also decreased in the comparative period as well.

“This long weekend was certainly quieter than the one before and I want to thank the public for heeding my appeal to celebrate responsibly. There are still some concerns and the New Year weekend was not without incident,” said the City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith.

“Officers arrested 66 drunk drivers, and given the carnage on our roads, there can be no leniency for those who put their own lives and that of others at risk when they are behind the wheel.”

Some of the other incidents that Metro police responded to included a complaint which resulted in them recovering an illegal firearm and ammunition in Hanover Park on Saturday, while they also arrested an arson-] suspect on the same day after they received a complaint about a Wendy house on fire in Blue Downs.

“Help us keep the number of incidents down, even as you let your hair down. The holiday continues as many residents have not yet returned to work, schools are not in session and our recreation areas are flooded with visitors for weeks to come. If everyone behaves responsibly, this festive season will be memorable for all the right reasons,” Mr Smith concluded.