During the 2022/23 financial year, the Cape Town Metro Police recorded increases in all key statistical areas, including arrests, drug and weapon confiscations, and traffic and by-law fines, the city announced yesterday, 10 September.
Notably, these police officers issued 11.6% more fines year on year, actioned 16.7% more arrests, and confiscated an astounding 72.1% more firearms.
The number of planned operations such as vehicle checkpoints showed a downturn, however, due to redeployments to other priorities like gang violence, responding to shot spotter alerts, protest action, and daily N2 and R300 patrols.
The numbers
The below table, provided by the City of Cape Town, shows the number of fines, arrests, confiscations, and other transgressions reported by the metro police department for the 2022/23 financial year:
| Category | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | Y-o-Y change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firearm confiscations | 43 | 74 | 72.1% |
| Ammunition confiscations | 718 | 1,094 | 52.4% |
| Arrests | 4,852 | 5,662 | 16.7% |
| Drug confiscations (units) | 30,205 | 34,543 | 14.4% |
| Other weapons | 389 | 434 | 11.6% |
| Traffic/by-law fines | 184,159 | 205,598 | 11.6% |
| Drug arrests | 2,254 | 2,508 | 11.2% |
| Vehicles recovered | 62 | 67 | 8.1% |
| Total operations | 7,124 | 6,196 | -13% |
| DUI screenings | 49,193 | 38,865 | -21% |
“The increases in arrests and confiscations are indicative of the good work being done on the ground, but also the impact of the resource and technology interventions, and the role of the public in our crime-fighting interventions,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
“Many of the successes are the result of information received from tip-offs, but also our integrated operations with other enforcement agencies, and of course the gains we’ve made in our CCTV monitoring, to name just a few. And, as we grow our tech footprint into the future, we anticipate even greater results, as we merge technology with on-the-ground policing.”
Formed in 2001, the Cape Town metro police department currently has a total staff complement of 729 with just under 600 uniformed staff members, and it includes various specialised units like the K9 and Equestrian units, the Gang and Drug Task Team, the Tactical Response unit, and the Camera Response unit.
At the end of 2022, it further added a dedicated Highway Patrol unit to monitor key routes like the N2 and R300 on a 24/7 basis, which has proved to be a very successful initiative. Over the last year, this unit assisted 3,892 motorists and made 89 arrests for various transgressions along these roads.
The department is also responsible for the rollout and management of CCTV infrastructure through its Strategic Surveillance Unit, with 313 new surveillance and licence plate recognition cameras in the 2022/23 financial year, taking the total number of installations to 1,216.
Keyword: Cape Town metro police report big jumps in fines and arrests – The numbers