The operation aims to make space for new liquor impoundments this summer.
The City’s Law Enforcement Department is finalising the destruction of 11 000 litres of alcohol that was confiscated between 2 December 2018 and 9 May 2019.
The destruction is the final step in the alcohol impoundment process, but is also necessitated to make space in the liquor storage facility for the predicted increase in alcohol confiscations this summer.
Already, between 1 and 15 December, City enforcement staff confiscated 2 339 bottles of alcohol, amounting to 1 379,84 litres. This excludes the tally for impoundments on Reconciliation Day, which is the first ‘priority’ day in terms of festive season enforcement.
‘Odds are the number will increase fairly significantly once the updated tallies are in. Also, with more people on leave now, the beaches and public spaces will be even busier, and the liquor storage facility will fill up too. Our law enforcement staff had a rough time this past weekend, with several incidents of riotous behaviour where officers attempted to confiscate liquor. Our message to these louts is simple you might think there is safety in numbers, until you get arrested for assault and interfering with an officer executing his duties and spend the festive season behind bars,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
When alcohol is confiscated, the owner receives a R500 fine, as well as a receipt outlining exactly what items were confiscated. The liquor is then booked in at the Law Enforcement impound facility, where the owner can reclaim their goods upon payment of the fine and a R650 impoundment release fee.
If the items are not collected after three months, the City’s policies make provision for the destruction of the alcohol.
‘I want to bust the myths from the outset our staff do not confiscate alcohol for their personal gain. There is a rigorous process involved in the confiscation of alcohol, so the detractors can just stop already. Secondly, we can’t sell the alcohol, because it is too arduous a process. We looked into it several years ago. I wish people would spend as much time and energy denouncing the actions of those who abuse alcohol and make life unpleasant for everyone else, as they do on what happens to confiscated alcohol,’ added Alderman Smith.
In other enforcement-related matters from the past week:
There was a solid start to Operation Exodus, with 380 vehicles submitted for fitness checks in the three days of the operation.
The operation, held every festive season to check the fitness of vehicles and drivers in the long-distance transport sector, kicked off on Friday 13 December.
Meanwhile, vehicle checkpoints around the various public transport interchanges (PTI) turned up 12 078 offences the bulk of these related to vehicle and driver fitness, as well as speeding.
‘The City tries its level best to make sure vehicles leaving Cape Town are actually fit to be on the road. The number of fines issued in just the first 24 hours of Operation Exodus is cause for concern. Shame on those in the long-distance transport industry who think it is ok to gamble with people’s lives by transporting them in vehicles that are not up to the task, and drivers behind the wheel who are either impaired, don’t have valid licenses or public driving permits.
In the coming days, the rate of vehicles leaving our PTIs for destinations around the country will increase exponentially. I urge owners to get their vehicles tested, or run the risk of having their trip stopped before it has even started,’ said Alderman Smith.
In general enforcement, the City’s Metro Police Department made 37 arrests on a range of charges including possession of drugs, malicious damage to property, possession of an imitation firearm, drunk driving and assault. Officers also issued 1 987 fines for various by-law and traffic transgressions.
Cape Town Traffic Service held numerous roadblocks, resulting in 26 arrests for driving under the influence.
Source: City Of Cape Town