A firearm-brandishing individual came up short on Sunday, 30 January, when he was caught on CCTV camera, and was arrested. CCTV Camera Operators spotted a group of males running in the street on the corner of Avonwood and Norwood streets in Goodwood – two of them were armed.
According to the City of Cape Town, camera operators alerted the South African Police Service who responded and apprehended one of the gunmen.
A few hours earlier, in Woodstock, a camera operator spotted three males using drugs in a park in the area – two of them were found in possession of mandrax and were arrested by the Metro Police Camera Response Unit.
Also read: Additional CCTV cameras to be installed in high-crime areas in Goodwood
Meanwhile, the greater Goodwood area will be getting six more CCTV cameras in the high-crime areas after the district has been struggling with metal and steel theft, destruction of rail infrastructure and business robberies.
“CCTV cameras are a great addition to our enforcement efforts, and they’re even more useful when the response on the ground is able to match the real-time visuals feeding through to our operators. That is why the City continuously strives to increase its resources, not just in the pursuit of visible policing, but also to ensure speedier response times where incidents are reported to our Public Emergency Communications Centre or detected on our CCTV system.
“What’s great about this is that we can also lean on SAPS or the CIDs to respond to incidents – whichever agency is closest to the scene. As we continue to invest in resources on the ground, but also our eyes in the sky, we will hopefully see an increase in successes of this nature,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Metro Police officers also made 52 arrests in the past week, including those courtesy of CCTV detection, and issued 4 660 fines.
During more than 400 enforcement operations in the past week, Law Enforcement officers arrested 72 suspects of which 44 were for the illegal possession of drugs.
Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officers accounted for 60 of the arrests which included the arrest of two suspects for the illegal possession of firearms.
Traffic Officers arrested 35 suspects, impounded 149 vehicles, 91 cell phones and issued 73 976 fines during the past week. Among those arrested were 16 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol, eight for reckless and negligent driving and 11 other offenders for vehicle and road safety transgressions.
Also read: Over 50% of arrests made in the WC last week were for drunken driving
More than 50% of arrests made in the Western Cape between January 17 and 23 were for driving under the influences of alcohol. Western Cape Minister of Transport and Public Works, Daylin Mitchell has expressed his concerns regarding the drunk driving statistics, as well as the high speeds recorded.
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Picture/s: City of Cape Town / Cape {town} Etc gallery