The Metro Police Department recorded an increase in all key statistical areas year-on-year, including arrests, drug confiscations, and traffic and by-law transgressions.
During the 2022/23 financial year, Metro Police officers arrested nearly 6,000 suspects and confiscated nearly 35,000 units of drugs, 74 firearms, and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition.
The statistics indicate increases in the majority of key categories.
| CATEGORY | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | y-o-y comparison |
| Arrests | 4 852 | 5662 | ↑ 16,7 |
| Drug arrests | 2 254 | 2 508 | ↑ 11,2 |
| DUI screenings | 49 193 | 38 865 | ↓ 21 |
| Drug confiscations (units) | 30 205 | 34 543 | ↑ 14,4 |
| Firearm confiscations | 43 | 74 | ↑ 72,1 |
| Ammunition confiscated | 718 | 1 094 | ↑ 52,4 |
| Other weapons | 389 | 434 | ↑ 11,6 |
| Vehicles recovered | 62 | 67 | ↑8,1 |
| Total operations | 7 124 | 6 196 | ↓ 13 |
| Traffic/By-law fines | 184 159 | 205 598 | ↑ 11,6 |
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith 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.
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, Smith added.
“As we grow our tech footprint into the future, we anticipate even greater results, as we merge technology with on-the-ground policing.”
Establishment of the Metro Police
The City’s Metro Police Department, which was established in 2001, is mandated to do crime prevention, in support of the South African Police Service, Traffic enforcement, and By-law enforcement.
The department also conducts dedicated patrols on the N2 and R300. Officers arrested nearly 4,000 motorists along these routes and made 89 arrests for various transgressions in the past year alone.
The Department is also responsible for the rollout and management of CCTV infrastructure through its Strategic Surveillance Unit, with 313 new surveillance and license plate recognition cameras in the 2022/23 financial year, taking the total number of installations to 1 216.
The Metro Police Training College has also expanded its reach in recent years, offering training to hundreds of new recruits, and refresher training for existing staff members across all three of the City’s enforcement services.
READ MORE: Metro police sees increase in arrests
