Over 4 000 law enforcement officers and emergency personnel will be deployed over the festive season, as part of CoCT's ‘tourism safety operation’

Over 4 000 law enforcement officers and emergency personnel will be deployed over the festive season, as part of the City of Cape Town’s ‘tourism safety operation’.

PHOTO SUPPLIED: City of Cape Town

The operation was launched on 8 November together with partners, including the South African Police Services (SAPS), SANparks, CIDs, and neighbourhood watches. This includes a special deployment of Tourism Unit personnel to Table Mountain National Park and the CBD.

‘’Aside from general crime prevention activities, the City is making a special deployment of 80 personnel for dedicated safety, patrolling tourism routes at Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Devil’s Peak, Table Mountain trails, the Bo-Kaap, Waterfront, and CBD,’’ said Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

‘’Safety technology will also be a key feature of our festive operations, including drones, dashcams, automatic number plate recognition, and CCTV. This all forms part of the City’s major safety technology investment, amounting to R860m over three years,’’ he added.

PHOTO SUPPLIED: City of Cape Town

A Metropole Integrated Joint Operational Centre (JOC) will be established at the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) in Goodwood, coordinating with four Area JOCs in different parts of the City, integrated beach JOCs, and the SAPS Command Centre.

Cape Town has further established Africa’s largest CCTV surveillance network of over 3 000 cameras, including both public and registered private cameras. The City is also increasingly using drones, including in operations on beaches and around Table Mountain.

To promote safety on highways, the City’s newly-established Highway patrol unit will be monitoring key routes such as the N2 and R300. The unit hit 1 000 arrests in its first year, and uses 'dashcams' equipped with Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) tech to identify wanted vehicles and outstanding warrants instantly.

‘’Our festive season plan is built around public safety and over time, we’ve expanded the blueprint and our resources to meet the growing demand. Last festive season, our personnel deployed across the metropole executed more than 11 000 operations, working closely with other enforcement and public safety organisations. Operations will be even larger this year, and the expanded tourism unit is but the latest example of identifying, and addressing a need, in partnership with other agencies, to improve public safety,’ said JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.

James Vos, the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth said the City is prioritising safety travel advice for visitors, especially in light of concerning incidents of tourists falling victim to crime after inadvertently ending up in hotspots.

 

Done By: Bush Radio News reporter