Almost 500k people arrested between April and September, police reveal

JOHANNESBURG - Police have revealed that almost half a million people were arrested between April and September. 

On Monday, police management held a briefing in Pretoria, providing details on their recent successes in clamping down on cash-in-transit heists, illegal mining operations, and drug smuggling. 

This, as police gear up for the festive period. 

More arrests, more convictions - that’s what police claim to have accomplished between April and September in 2024 in comparison with previous years. 

National Police Commissioner Fanie Masemola said that almost half a million people were arrested during this period. 

“A total of 445,688 suspects were arrested from 1 April 2024 to 31 September 2024. This is an increase of 16,819 persons compared with the first semester of the previous financial year.” 

He said that during this same period, hundreds of life sentences were handed down. 

“Six hundred and thirty-five life sentences were handed down to 431 accused criminals.” 

He said the majority of the life sentences were handed down to murder, rape, house robbery, and business robbery accused persons.