Just over 49 000 people were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal during the festive season for crimes including rape, murder and armed robbery, provincial community liaison minister Willies Mchunu said on Tuesday.
“It is no exaggeration to say these men and women [police officers] made life tough for criminals, and will continue to do so. During the festive season the men and women in blue made a staggering 49 257 arrests,” Mchunu said in a statement prepared for delivery.
He was scheduled to read the statement at a media briefing in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday morning, but the event was cancelled at the last minute as the minister was not feeling well.
He said 1 222 people had been arrested for rape, 955 for murder, 1 324 for aggravated robbery and 4 595 for drug related crimes.
A further 1 275 were arrested for home and business burglaries, 530 for attempted murder and 6 445 for assault with grievous bodily harm.
Police recovered 1280 stolen cars.
Mchunu said a well-coordinated festive season security plan — which saw more than 18 000 police officers deployed in the province — had resulted in the arrests and also prevented other crimes from being committed.
“As businesses shut down policing was also intensified to prevent workers from being robbed of their hard earned bonuses,” he said.
Patrols around financial institutions such as banks were intensified due to the increased movement of cash to pay salaries, bonuses and stokvels, he said.
“All tourist hotspots were bolstered with extra security presence. Our focus on shopping centres also limited the opportunities for criminal activities,” Mchunu said.
The festive security plan had also worked well at Durban’s beaches where there was an influx of revellers from other provinces and countries.
The police had also not tolerated drinking in public.
“Durban’s Golden Mile was a hive of activity as usual but the additional police presence and uncompromising security measures ensured the safety of beachgoers,” he said.
Mchunu said he was pleased that a total of 11 898 illegal weapons had been confiscated during the festive season.
“This excludes 167 that were confiscated as a result of the current firearms amnesty while 1606 were handed in voluntarily,” he said.
The summer holiday road safety plan had centred primarily on aggressive road enforcement.
‘A total of 314 506 vehicles were stopped in various roadblocks throughout the province. A total of 10 649 charges were recorded for exceeding the desired speed limit,” he said.
About 937 motorists were caught for drink driving.
“At least 72 speeders were caught and arrested. Some 4 640 motorists were caught driving without a valid driver’s licence.”
The province recorded 231 fatal crashes which claimed 298 lives during the festive period. He said most accidents were a direct result of driver error and pedestrians walking in undesignated areas. – Sapa