More than 7K people arrested for flouting lockdown regulations

OVER 7 000 people have been arrested in the province for non-compliance, police said.

In just under a month, officers made arrests of non-compliance to the level 3 lockdown regulations, which the provincial commissioner has expressed concern about.

Commissioner Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula said citizens in the province are still being arrested on a daily basis for not complying with regulations.

“Since the announcement of the latest level 3 lockdown regulations, we have embarked on daily operations focused on ensuring that all the citizens in the province comply with the regulations to stem the spread of Covid-19.”

“We urge citizens to comply with the regulations as law enforcement officers continue to work around the clock with all other departments to protect communities from being exposed to Covid-19,” he said.

Provincial spokesperson for the police, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said co-ordinated multi-disciplinary operations are being conducted simultaneously across the province focusing on hotspot areas and those areas where reports of non-compliance are received.

“As a result of operations carried out from 29 December 2020 until 25 January, 7 270 individuals were arrested for various contraventions of the level 3 lockdown regulations in the province.”

“Police arrested 1 579 private persons as well as business owners who have failed to comply with the curfew set in the regulations. During the same period, 5 228 persons were arrested in various public spaces for not wearing a mask.”

“Operations also netted 400 people who were found transporting, selling, or consuming liquor in a public space, which is in contravention of the regulations,” he said.

SAPS appeals for information with regards to contraventions of the adjusted alert level 3 lockdown regulations.

Report anonymously to CrimeStop on 086-001-0111 or via the MySAPS app available on Andriod and iOS.