More than 50 people were arrested by Tshwane Central police during high-visibility operations over the weekend.
The operations were aimed at disrupting and preventing criminal activity, according to police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
The arrests were made for a variety of offences.
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Six fraudsters were arrested; five were arrested for possession of stolen property; and seven for theft and shoplifting.
A total of 17 people were arrested for drug-related offences.
Ten arrests were made for assaults and seven for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Malicious damage to property, burglary at business premises, reckless and/or negligent driving and trespassing were some of the other arrests that were made.
All those arrested will appear in the Hatfield community and Pretoria magistrate’s courts, respectively, on Monday, said Weilbach.
With vehicle-related crimes still high in all police precincts, Weilbach said motorists should always remove all valuables from parked vehicles. Also, most vehicles were stolen while parked on sidewalks in front of businesses, schools, churches, outside friends’ houses, etc.
“Recently, vehicle-related crimes also occurred inside security complexes where there are access control and security guards,” she said.
She added that a large police presence would be in place at shopping malls, with supplementary visible patrols for residential areas and main roads, next week. This is because crime tends to escalate at month’s end.
Weilbach also urged motorists be careful where they park their cars.
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“The more people who can see your vehicle, the less likely someone will have time to break into your vehicle without raising any suspicions,” she said.
“Parking spots that are well-lit at night and parking spaces close to CCTV cameras or security guards are all sensible options.”
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