The festive season in Cape Town once again kept emergency services and enforcement officers on their toes, with alcohol-related transgressions emerging as a clear theme in December’s safety statistics.
After a quieter festive period in 2024, alcohol confiscations surged over the latest holiday season.
Between 1 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, the City’s Law Enforcement Liquor Pound received 12 595 units of alcohol, amounting to more than 5 670 litres. This is a sharp increase from the same period a year earlier, when just under 3 500 litres were seized.
Drunk driving was another major concern. Arrests for driving under the influence rose by 35% compared to the previous year, underlining the role alcohol continues to play during the “silly season.”
Even so, several crime and trauma indicators showed encouraging declines.
The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded fewer assault cases, domestic violence incidents and road accidents, with drops of between 20% and nearly 30% in these categories.
A summary of key statistics across Cape Town’s departments:
| Category | December 2024 | December 2025 |
| Arrests | 1 472 | 1 263 |
| Drunk driving arrests | 187 | 253 |
| Firearm confiscations | 15 | 16 |
| Ammunition recovered | 142 rounds | 221 rounds |
| Fines/transgressions | 250 233 | 350 585 |
| Fire & Rescue total incidents | 3 546 | 3 969 |
| Vegetation fires | 2 056 | 2 501 |
| PECC assault incidents | 979 | 698 |
| PECC domestic violence calls | 499 | 390 |
| PECC road accidents | 514 | 396 |
Cape Town crackdown by department
Fire and Rescue Services also saw mixed trends. While responses to road accidents and trauma incidents declined, crews attended more vegetation and residential fires.
In total, firefighters responded to 3 969 emergencies, up from 3 546 the year before. Vegetation fires accounted for the bulk of incidents, followed by formal and informal residential fires. Fourteen people lost their lives in fire-related incidents during the period.
Emergency call data paints a similar picture. The Public Emergency Communication Centre logged nearly 16 000 incidents, most linked to medical emergencies and by-law violations.
Noise complaints, public drinking complaints and fireworks-related calls featured prominently, reflecting festive-season behaviour in the Cape.
Drunk-driving transgressions
On the enforcement front, law enforcement officers made 664 arrests and issued more than 30 000 fines.
Metro Police recorded 367 arrests, including 66 for drunk driving, while Traffic Officers arrested 232 motorists, most for driving under the influence. Traffic officers also executed nearly 7 000 warrants and recorded more than 307 000 traffic offences.
“‘What the stats don’t do is highlight the many lives saved through proactive enforcement, education and awareness and visible patrols across the many priority areas in our city,” added JP Smith, the City’ Mayco Member for Safety and Security.
