Almost 10 000 people have been arrested in the Western Cape since the start of the festive season, and the police are not done yet.

The arrests, made since December 16, were mostly drug and liquor related, acting provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Garry Kruser said on Tuesday.

So far, 2 560 had been arrested for possession of drugs and 43 for possession of firearms and ammunition. Almost 250 people had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Police made another 2 219 liquor-related arrests.

Between December 16 and Tuesday, police had searched 33 300 people, held 79 roadblocks, and raided 250 shebeens and taverns.

Police seized:

– 5.4kg of tik;

– 1 676kg of dagga;

– 2 956 Mandrax tablets;

– 49 firearms;

– 7 543 rounds of ammunition;

– 9 935 litres of alcohol;

Kruser said illegal shebeens contributed to the increase of crime in the province.

“We have the situation under control. Last night was a good night again with arrests. But what is more important is the absence of crime in certain gang-related areas, since we implemented lockdown procedures yesterday.” News24