Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s enforcement agencies said it has seen a decline in drunk driving arrests from 89 last year to 80 this past weekend.
Over the past week, it has also recorded 361 arrests and issued 72 465 fines for various transgressions.
“What’s positive is that many of our statistical indicators are reliant on proactive enforcement, so the increase in arrests week-on-week, but also compared to the week of Easter last year, speaks to the efforts of our staff when many of us were enjoying some downtime.
“Over the long weekend specifically, our emergency call takers recorded an increase in assault cases, as well as motor vehicle accidents and noise complaints, compared to Easter last year.
“Add to that the drunk driving arrests, and a clearer picture starts emerging. The Easter period is critical from an enforcement perspective, and I do want to thank those members of the public who took the safety first message to heart. So often we focus on the actions of the lawbreakers, but we also need to pause and applaud those who respect the law and make our jobs easier,” said mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith.
The City’s Traffic Services made 84 arrests, including 67 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol, five for reckless and negligent driving as well as 12 arrests for various offences, including possession of a stolen vehicle, false documentation and assaulting an officer.
Smith said on Sunday, officers arrested a suspect found in possession of 10.4kg of dagga during a roadblock along the N7 highway.
A total of 63 765 offences were recorded, 231 public transport vehicles were impounded, and 1 451 warrants of arrest were executed.
Law Enforcement officers also made 212 arrests during the past week and issued 3 572 fines.
Metro Police officers arrested 65 suspects, including 13 for driving under the influence of alcohol, and also issued 5 128 fines.
During Easter 2022, enforcement agencies made 332 arrests and issued 104 981 fines.
Smith said the City of Cape Town’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 2 294 incidents over the Easter long weekend, up from 2 012 in 2022.
Among the calls received, 211 were incidents relating to assault, 33 for domestic violence, 54 for motor vehicle accidents, and 21 for pedestrian-vehicle accidents.
In 2022, 159 assault calls were received, 37 calls for domestic violence incidents, 37 for motor vehicle accidents and 24 for pedestrian-vehicle accidents.