The City of Cape Town is deploying additional law enforcement at public transport facilities around the metro in an effort to crack down on crime and improve public safety.
The additional police officers are part of a new Public Transport Facilities Safety Team, which will soon commence with active duty in areas where there is an urgent need for additional safety and security interventions, according to Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Improving safety
The new safety team is funded by the Western Cape Mobility Department and will operate on a rolling basis, with law enforcement being deployed to public transport areas designated as crime hotspots by data analysts from the city’s Public Transport Department.
This will ensure that resources are deployed where most needed, based on sound evidence.
The Safety Team is currently wrapping up its induction, and will soon be stationed at public facilities in areas highlighted by the Transport Department, such as Wynberg, Langa, and Mitchells Plain.
The main focus of the increased police presence is to curb criminal activities, enforce compliance with transport by-laws, and address informal trading matters. To achieve this, officers will conduct patrols on foot and do regular inspections to prevent drug peddling, ensure organized informal trading, and address by-law contraventions.
Members of the Safety Team will also be able to make arrests and issue fines, and will work closely with their colleagues from the Transport Enforcement Unit and Traffic Services.
Furthermore, officers from the Transport Enforcement Unit have already been sent to the public transport interchanges at Bellville, Joe Gqabi, and Station Deck in the city’s central business district.
A recent Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan found that roughly 22% of Cape Town’s commuters rely on minibus taxis, while other 9% use bus services like GABS and MyCiti.
This means that nearly a third of all commuters use public transport facilities, necessitating that more be done to improve public safety at these locations.
“Commuters’ perception of safety is closely linked to seeing officers on the ground, patrolling and doing crime prevention, and doing what is needed to ensure an orderly and safe facility,” said the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas.
“I’m sure the presence of these officers will make a huge difference, and I ask commuters and operators to please support these officers, and to work with them, so that we can keep Capetonians moving safely.”
Keyword: Cape Town protects commuters with more police at crime hotpots