Police make over 230 000 arrests in festive season crackdown

More than 230 000 suspects were arrested during the 2025 festive season operations, as the police say the operations aimed to restore community trust, enhance safety, and boost economic activity and business confidence.

The South African Police Service (Saps) launched the nationwide festive season operations in October last year.

National Commissioner of Saps, General Fannie Masemola, revealed on Friday afternoon that officers secured 236 887 total arrests across South Africa between 15 October 2025 and 31 January 2026.

Saps arrest 236 887 suspects

These include 32 318 arrests of wanted suspects for serious crimes like murder, rape, robberies, car hijackings, and illegal firearms possession.

“Throughout this period, Saps members went beyond the call of duty, often under challenging and demanding conditions, to disrupt criminal networks, remove illegal firearms and dangerous weapons from our communities, and bring perpetrators of serious crime to book,” Masemola said.

“These operations were not only about enforcing the law but also about restoring calm, strengthening community trust and contributing to a stable environment in which economic activity and investment can thrive.”

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For murder and attempted murder, 4 029 suspects were arrested, and for rape and attempted rape, 2 693 were arrested.

The police said the majority of those nabbed were those arrested for being in possession of drugs, bringing the total of drug possession arrests to 33 397. A total of 4 281 drug dealers were also arrested during this period.

Law enforcement also saw a high number of drunk drivers arrested, a total of 15 075, and 2 498 arrested for selling alcohol without a license.

Safer communities, business confidence ‘inseparable’

“Safer communities and business confidence are inseparable, and the work delivered during this festive season demonstrates the Saps’ central role in safeguarding both,” the commissioner said.

The Saps conducted 7 726 high-density operations across South Africa. 116 434 premises were searched, 4854 roadblocks were conducted, and 673 235 high-visibility patrols were carried out.

The police also inspected 106 715 liquor premises with 7 682 unlicensed outlets shut down.

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“This is quite significant given the fact that unlicensed liquor premises pose a challenge to our work due to shooting incidents and other serious crimes that are recorded in those unlicensed premises,” the commissioner said.

“With vigour, we will continue with our inspections to ensure that we shut down those operating illegally.”

Officers seized more than 2 000 illegal firearms, with KwaZulu-Natal leading (753), followed by the Western Cape (607) and the Eastern Cape (343).

Convictions

During the festive season, 2 738 accused people were convicted, with the state securing 199 life sentences, 15 sentenced to 40+ years, and many others receiving long-term imprisonment.

In terms of detective capacity, the Saps has recruited 264 new detectives and welcomed back 200 more to strengthen investigation capacity and improve case resolution.

“We are confident that this ongoing strategy of bolstering our detective capacity will go a long way in ensuring those who harm others and commit heinous crimes are brought to book,” Masemola said.

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