Cape Town: The Traffic and Law Enforcement Department arrested 225 suspects and issued 68,454 fines during enforcement operations conducted this past week. The Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 1,867 incidents in the past weekend.
Metro Police officers of the City of Cape Town rescued a passenger from a hijacked vehicle. The officers rescued the passenger with the members of a neighborhood watch.
City’s Metro Police officers also recovered the hijacked vehicle on Sunday, Feb 18, 2024, after it was stolen from Belgravia Road, Athlone.
The driver of the vehicle with the passenger aged 88, drove the vehicle off the property. At the spot, she was left with nothing to fetch something from the house. After some time, an unknown man appeared and held the passenger at gunpoint and drove off with her, still in the vehicle.
As per the reports, member officers of the local Neighbourhood Watch witnessed the incident. Following this, the members informed the Metro Police officers who conducted crime prevention patrols at Klipfontein and Belgravia Roads.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the swift action by officers and the local neighbourhood watch members in Athlone yesterday who came to rescue the 88-year-old passenger, showed the importance of enforcement patrols in the suburbs.
Alderman Smith said, “I would like to commend the local Neighbourhood Watch who acted and followed the vehicle and informed our officers.”
Smith added that this is an example of the effective working relationship between the enforcement agencies and Neighbourhood Watches in communities.
“Neighbourhood Watches are an important link between community members and our enforcement officers in crime prevention and in the sharing of information which could lead to arrests and getting criminals of the street and out of communities,” said JP Smith.
Moreover, PECC recorded 1,867 incidents on the weekend. As per the calls received, 728 were medical cases, out of which 123 were physical assaults.
PECC also recorded 16 cases of firearm assault. Domestic violence cases were reported over 59 calls for assistance. They also dealt with 49 motor vehicle accidents.