City identifies local safety and security trends during lockdown
24 April 2020
Statement by Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith
Twenty-nine days into the national lockdown, the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate continues to work hard to enforce the disaster regulations promulgated by national government.
While the focus of lockdown interventions was initially on ensuring that persons remained confined to their homes, the focus has shifted in recent weeks.
From a City perspective, we have noted an increase in the number of persons arrested for selling items prohibited in terms of the regulations – most notably alcohol and cigarettes.
In the last two weeks, there has also been a worrying increase in the looting of alcohol retailers, and more recently, the looting of food retailers and trucks transporting food items.
The chaotic protest along the R300 earlier this week was the most recent incident.
Since the lockdown began, our LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT has made 1 326 arrests for contraventions of the Disaster Act, but also armed robbery, possession of illegal substances, attempted murder, attempted housebreaking, etc.
During their operations, LAW ENFORCEMENT staff have confiscated 1 421 units of alcohol, 1 245 packs of cigarettes and seven firearms and ammunition.
Their METRO POLICE counterparts have made 549 arrests and confiscated 1 365 units of drugs, 534 units of alcohol and more than a million cigarettes (1 043 265).
The confiscated items have been booked in as evidence at the respective police stations where the suspects were detained and will form part of the court proceedings. It is up to the SAPS to determine what happens to these items once the cases are finalised.
Our staff are working under very trying circumstances and they are to be commended for their hard work.
The ban on alcohol and cigarettes has been a subject of lively debate since the announcement. Of course there has continued to be trade in these items in spite of the ban, and the City is under no illusion that for all of the arrests and confiscations, there are many others who have managed to lay their hands on these goods.
Much has also been said about the impact of the alcohol ban on crime statistics. The City’s Safety and Security Directorate has noted certain trends in some of its departments, which can be attributed to the reduced movement of persons, but we are fairly confident that the ban on alcohol has played a role.
The City’s TRAFFIC SERVICE has arrested one motorist for driving under the influence during the lockdown period, and two others for reckless and negligent driving. By comparison, during the same period last year, officers made 157 drunk driving arrests and 16 more for reckless and negligent driving.
However, it is the statistics of the FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE that really drives home the message.
A comparison of the lockdown period and the same period a year ago revealed:
40% reduction in the number of overall calls responded to (fire and special services like trauma incidents and motor vehicle accidents)
74% drop in the number of trauma calls
60% drop in the number of medical calls
48% drop in the number of formal residential fires responded to
37% drop in the number of informal residential fires responded to
These lower statistics represent lives saved, even though it cannot be quantified.
Of the many lessons that we as a country can and will learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is my distinct hope that one of these will be our relationship with alcohol and its impact on our social fabric.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
