More than 75,000 arrests in police safer festive season operations

More than 75,000 people have been arrested since the launch of the SAPS' safer festive season campaign — many undocumented foreigners, drunk drivers and those who have committed assault.

Since October 15, police conducted:

• 3,364 roadblocks;
• 200,000 stop-and-searches;
• 26,569 vehicle checkpoints;
• and 500,000 vehicle and foot patrols.

More than 11,000 undocumented foreigners have been arrested and efforts to deport them to their home countries are under way, said police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe.

“Police have arrested 4,488 drunk drivers, 6,700 assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm suspects and almost 5,000 people for common assault,” Mathe said.

Searches for wanted suspects in cases of murder, rape and gender-based violence were high on the agenda, with 6,244 tracking and tracing operations conducted since October 15.

A total of 560 people were arrested for murder, 604 for attempted murder, 470 for rape, 408 for business robberies and 561 for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

Police were also focusing on alcohol abuse, a main driver of crime, especially contact crimes, Mathe said.

Almost 500,000 compliance inspections were carried out at gun shops, second-hand goods dealers, taverns and liquor outlets.

From December 1 to 22, 2,500 people were arrested for drinking in public and 850 were detained for being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

“In the first 22 days of December, police arrested 17,844 suspects for illegally trading in liquor. We call on liquor traders to trade responsibly and traders must be fully complaint. This is a non-negotiable,” Mathe said.

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