City rent-a-cop initiative to boost safety

By Ofentse Mokae
10 September 2009

The City of Cape Town’s rent-a-cop initiative is to be expanded to deploy Traffic Officers across the metropole.

This initiative enables the City to increase levels of visible policing despite budgetary constraints.

Last year the City Council agreed that individuals, companies, NGOs or institutions could sponsor Law Enforcement, Metro Police and Traffic Officers as part of its ‘rent-a-cop’ concept.

The city’s strategy manager in the safety and security department Anton Visser says the initiative was born more than a year ago.

“This project was born last year when we received a number of requests from interested parties across the city and makes our traffic officer as well as law enforcement officers available on a specific basis to particular areas,” said Visser.

Visser says the initiative allows for interested parties such as businesses, civil organisations and private companies to be involved for the financing of the officers.

He says they are not using their current working officers but rather recruiting new members, as the former will only deplete their force levels.

In a media statement the city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith says the sponsors in this initiative pay for the salaries of the relevant officers.

Smith says they also contribute 50% towards their training, uniforms, transport, overtime and equipment costs.

“Although sponsors pay the salaries of rent-a-cops, the officers report to the City of Cape Town. On the other hand, sponsors can request said that they be deployed to cover trouble spots during problem hours,” Cllr Smith.

He says the City/sponsor agreement allows rented officers to be pulled back into Metro Police, Law Enforcement or Traffic Services in the event of serious operational needs.

The City is currently negotiating with the insurance industry to sponsor Traffic Officers for deployment at various problem areas in an attempt to enhance traffic and pedestrian safety and reduce the rate of accidents.

The dedicated deployment of these officers allows them to get to know the area, focus on disorder and crime-related problems particular to the area and pro-actively enforce the law.