Cape Town: The Enforcement Agencies of the City of Cape Town apprehended 235 suspects in the past week and issued 45,786 fines for various transgressions. A number of suspects were arrested with the assistance of CCTV and drone operators.
The Metro Police officers arrested 51 suspects in the past week for various different offences and issued 2784 fines for traffic and by-law infringements. The officers also conducted crime prevention patrols on Saturday, May 03, 2025 at the Bellville taxi rank, which was assisted by the drone operators.
Officers arrested five suspects on various charges including the illegal possession of drugs and defeating the ends of justice. On Friday, May 02, 2025 the CCTV operators caught two suspects smoking, a suspected illegal substance at the corner of Strand and Plein Streets in the Cape Town CBD. The responding officers found them in possession of mandrax and detained the suspects aged 31 and aged 40.
In a near-identical incident on May Day, CCTV operators monitored the CBD that triggered the arrest of a 55-year-old suspect for possession of mandrax and a knife, while the cameras also caught the driver of a silver Mercedes Benz driving into a barrier and hitting a tree.
The Metro Police officers detained the 30-year-old driver at Cape Town Central SAPS for being under the influence after a breathalyser put him at nearly three times the legal limit. Cape Town Traffic Officers stayed on the roads and arrested 21 suspects, out of which 14 were for driving under the influence of alcohol, 3 for reckless and negligent driving and 4 for other offences.
Metro Police Officers also recorded 37,956 offences, that impounded 155 public transport vehicles and executed 917 warrants of arrest. The law enforcement officers made 163 arrests and issued more than 5000 fines.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the expanded use of digital tools to complement enforcement efforts has become part and parcel of the public safety operations. These tools display their worth time and again, as they saw this past week.
The drone operators led the teams on the ground to criminal acts in progress. It also increased the chances of criminals, being caught red-handed, and the video evidence can be the key to a successful prosecution. The aerial tools also improve situational awareness for staff on the ground, by offering a far broader view of potentially dangerous situations and how to address those.