Cape Town - The police’s resources in the Western Cape are set to get a boost with 1070 additional officers, who will be deployed in this financial year.
The police bosses promise the new gang-unit will stretch its long arms to more areas.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula and Community Safety MEC Alan Winde addressed the media yesterday to pledge support for fighting crime.
“It takes about 18 months for police officers to be trained at college and be deployed into the units and at stations. I can report that in the 2018/19 financial year we are getting an allocation of 1070 new officers to the Western Cape,” Jula said.
He said the new anti-gang unit (AGU) would be boosted in future.
“The AGU is a national unit and it is funded at that level.
“The numbers will be increased as we go on. Once we see that more members are needed, it will be increased.
“We have 25 gang stations and the unit is deployed across these areas. We also have Operation Thunder and the Festive Season programme which will ensure higher visibility,” he said.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the AGU in Hanover Park where he handed over high-performance vehicles.
Winde said the provincial government is committed to help where the need is the most.
“We are agreeing to meet at least twice a month to discuss crime fighting efforts, to ensure strategies are aligned to current trends and needs.
“We are supporting the process of filling critical vacancies within the six-month time frame as set out by the Public Service Commission.
“We agreed to drive the agenda that crime statistics in this province are released on a quarterly basis.
“The regular release of these stats will provide a clear crime picture, helping community structures to assign resources to the most prevalent crime categories. There is a need to look beyond conventional ways of policing, and introduce technology to combat crime. Things like body cameras and other technology can certainly be used to create a safer environment. We will also look at CCTV cameras and possibly link it with our wi-fi system,” Winde said.