Cape Town - Cape Town’s enforcement and security agencies hosted several anti-crime initiatives with police visibility to raise the public’s awareness of safety over the festive season.
In several areas across the city, the City’s Safety and Security Directorate hosted integrated and joint patrol operations, boasting the lowest rate of apprehensions to date since the beginning of the month pertaining to road offences.
However, despite the seemingly pleasing figures, the department said it will be increasing its operations over the coming days as it expects to see an upsurge in the number of incidents and accidents on the roads.
Safety and Security mayco member JP Smith said: “There has been a reduction of drunk driving cases, and arrests so far these festive season. While formal statistics have not yet been released officers are reporting reduced motor vehicle accidents as well.”
To ensure safety and security throughout the festive season, Table Mountain National Park’s (TMNP) Sea, Air and Mountain (Seam) team has welcomed the deployment of an Airbus H125 aircraft.
TMNP park manager Frans van Rooyen said: “This week we welcomed the arrival of the Airbus H125 rotary-winged aircraft. The specially built aircraft comes fitted with equipment that allows the chopper to provide real-time intelligence to ranger teams and K9 on the ground during visible patrolling.
“Yesterday morning making use of the flight, Seam rangers together with the K9 unit apprehended three poachers in the Cape of Good Hope section of TMNP. The three poachers arrested were linked to the illegal harvesting of abalone, and diving gear was confiscated,” Van Rooyen said.
Meanwhile, on the SAPS front, Police Minister Bheki Cele will today be visiting Cape Town as part of SAPS’s annual safer festive season inspection tour.
Cele, together with the SAPS management team from national, and the province led by the Western Cape Commissioner Thembisile Patekile will be in town to assess the effectiveness of Safer Festive Season operational plans put in place to ensure residents and holidaymakers are and feel safe during the holiday season.
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected].
All letters must have your proper name and a valid email address to be considered for publication