Cape Town: The Enforcement Agencies of the City of Cape Town has made 273 arrests in the past week, right down from the previous Easter period. The Statistics points towards a quieter Easter. The Public Emergency Communication Centre also recorded a downturn in incidents.
As per Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the 2025 Easter was a mixed bag. They are grateful for the decline in cases of interpersonal violence and other categories that are very often linked to alcohol abuse and the 15% increase in vehicles checked as part of Operation Exodus is also very encouraging.
Smith said that on the streets, the enforcement services put in the hard yards that results surging in firearm confiscations and related arrests. Drunk driving arrests increased slightly year by year, as a testament to the efforts of staff to keep the roads safe. He added that he is disappointed and concerned about the number of incidents involving pedestrians.
Reportedly, there were at least four pedestrian fatalities in the past weekend, as three of them occurred on the N2 and R300, all after dark. As winter approaches, they will step up the pedestrian education efforts and it is hoped that the planned additional deployments along the N2 for the new financial year could also assist in driving down the number of pedestrians crossing the road illegally.
The Public Emergency Communication Centre of the City of Cape Town recorded 2086 incidents over the Easter long weekend, as they saw a 23% drop from the 2725 incidents in 2024. This included 910 medical calls, 37 fire incidents, 125 cases of assault, 50 domestic violence cases and 54 road accidents.
Moreover, in general enforcement, the city agencies made 273 arrests and issued 60,587 fines for various offences, in comparison to last year’s 305, and 62,710 fines issued. The Drunk Driving arrests increased slightly from 25 to 28. The Traffic Service of the City of Cape Town arrested 27 motorists in the past week and 20 for driving under the influence and seven for various other offences. Officers also executed 997 warrants of arrest, impounded 216 vehicles and recorded 48,921 offences.
Also, there’s Operation Exodus, which focuses on vehicle and driver fitness in the long-distance transport industry which saw 562 vehicles undergoing checks, up from 487 in 2024. The Law Enforcement Department arrested 196 suspects and issued 6,521 notices for various by-law transgressions.
Metro Police officers made 50 arrests, including eight for drunk driving, issued 2,334 fines for various traffic and by-law transgressions and confiscated 12 firearms. In their most recent success, officers teamed up with SAPS at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025 and arrested a suspect aged 28, for the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
The enforcement agencies responded to a tip off of guns that was being sold in the parking lot of a shopping centre in Hanover Park. Officers recovered two pistols and seven rounds of ammunition. The suspect was then detained at Philippi East SAPS.