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Over 10 000 arrests made in Western Cape

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Western Cape police have made over 10 000 arrests in under two weeks as the festive season reaches fever pitch. Authorities say they will continue crime fighting initiatives over the coming New Year’s weekend.

It has been a busy two weeks for police officials with thousands of vehicle check points and roadblocks among the operations aimed at curbing crime.

Two suspects were arrested in Mitchells Plain on Thursday after an alleged illegal firearm was found in a vehicle .

Meanwhile, at the nearby shopping mall, mounted patrols are being used as a crime deterrent. New police recruits have also been deployed to bolster police visibility.

“It’s quite a number of arrests and some of them are associated with crimes dependent on police action. Those include the illegal possession of firearms, drunken driving cases, as well as drugs,” Western Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula.

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Jula says additional police resources have been deployed to various crime hotspots. “We have operations that are also focusing in the various CBDS and the malls for an example this particular mall. We are also focusing in other areas like the ports of entry, also the murder stations and the gang infested stations, so the operations are going on and will continue into this weekend.”

Shoppers have welcomed the crime fighting efforts, with others calling on SAPS to do more. “There is a lot of crime here so they must patrol,” says one of the shoppers.

Police have meanwhile appealed to motorists to refrain from drinking and driving and have pledged to work flat out to keep communities, and public spaces safe.

 

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