The City’s enforcement agencies made 389 arrests during operations in the past week and issued 58 574 fines for various transgressions. One of them was caught on the big screen, in the act of stealing a big screen.
The City's Metro Police Department made 157 arrests in the past week and issued 4 678 traffic and by-law fines.
Among the charges were possession of drugs, contact-related crimes, firearm-related crime and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Three motorists were arrested for drunk driving, after motor vehicle accidents that they were involved in were captured on CCTV camera, which resulted in first responders being activated.
The CCTV cameras also led officers to a suspect who was found in possession of suspected stolen jewellery in the CBD, and on Thursday, 18 August, a CCTV operator raised the alarm as they spotted an individual in Bellville, opening a white bakkie, removing a television set and placing it in another vehicle. The suspect was arrested and detained at Bellville SAPS on a charge of theft.
'The incidents mentioned are a reminder of the crucial role that technology plays as a force multiplier, and expanding our visible policing net. It is for this reason that the City is continuously investing in technology that can help us deliver more effective policing, and ensure safer communities, to complement our efforts on the ground. Apart from the ongoing CCTV expansion, we are also looking to finalise our eye in the sky soon, as well as more dashboard cameras for our enforcement vehicles, but also body cameras for staff members,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The Law Enforcement Department made 175 arrests and issued 3 273 by-law notices in the past week.
Their Traffic counterparts arrested 57 motorists – 49 for driving under the influence of alcohol and eight for reckless and negligent driving.
They also issued 50 623 fines for various traffic violations, impounded 119 public transport vehicles and executed 1 446 warrants of arrest.
The Public Emergency Communication Centre, meanwhile, recorded 1 538 incidents between Friday, 19 August and Sunday, 21 August.
Motor vehicle accidents increased to 46 from 40 the weekend before, and 18 pedestrian vehicle accidents, up from 12 during the previous reporting period.
Call takers also logged 107 assault cases and 18 domestic violence reports.
'We noted from the crime statistics released on Friday, an alarming jump in the number of violent attacks against women and children. Our PECC consistently records more than a dozen calls related to domestic violence, weekend after weekend. In one of the latest incidents, our Metro Police officers arrested a 39-year-old woman for assault on a 13-year-old girl in Macassar. The suspect tried to evade officers, but she was eventually arrested on a raft of charges including assault GBH, child abuse, contravention of a protection order and resisting arrest. It is unacceptable that people are not safe in their own homes, and so very often, policing this type of violence is incredibly difficult, because it happens behind closed doors and relies fully on victims speaking up. Many don't, because they don't believe that the system will support them,' added Alderman Smith.
Source: City Of Cape Town