262 people arrested by law enforcement in lead up to Christmas

A total of 45 of the 262 arrests made by City law enforcement officers over a seven-day period, were for driving under the influence of alcohol.

This, coupled with the five arrests for reckless driving, said mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, had sparked concern over driver behaviour.

The arrests were made by Cape Town traffic officers between Monday December 19 and Sunday December 25.

Law Enforcement officers made 132 arrests and issued 4 701 fines, while Metro Police officers made 80 arrests and issued 2 279 fines.

These agencies issued nearly 70 000 fines combined for various transgressions, including impounding 190 public transport vehicles and executing 790 warrants of arrest.

Officers also responded to domestic violence complaints in the days leading up to Christmas, the City said in a media statement.

From Friday December 23 until Tuesday December 27, the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) recorded 3 334 incidents.

Just under 45% of these incidents were requests for medical assistance. Call-takers also recorded 294 assaults, 43 cases of self-harm, 95 domestic violence incidents and 101 motor vehicle and pedestrian vehicle accidents.

And while beaches were “incredibly busy”, no major incidents were reported, Mr Smith added.

“As expected, alcohol consumption proved problematic once more. We will know in the next day how much alcohol was confiscated, once our Liquor Enforcement Unit has logged all of the items received at our pound.

“I am also very concerned about the increase in pedestrian accidents over the long weekend, as well as the many cases of assault and domestic violence that were reported to the PECC.”