The City of Cape Town’s plans to have safe festive season by deploying law enforcement officers to cope with possible protest action.
|||Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s plans for a safe festive season for the city include arranging to deploy resources and law enforcement officers to cope with possible protest action.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the city was anticipating flare-ups of violence on the N2, similar to the protest action seen there earlier this week.
The city has already spent more than R3.6 million on overtime for law enforcement staff used to respond to these calls, which Smith described as a “squandering of resources”.
Land invasions were also expected to increase in the run-up to next year’s elections, he said, and the city’s dedicated land invasion unit would be on standby for the next few months.
But despite these challenges, Smith said the city’s festive season preparedness would be bolstered by the use of volunteers in all areas of safety and security.
A festive season co-ordination committee would respond to issues and mitigate risks from now until after Easter.
“Many people expose themselves to risky activities they don’t understand, and that includes swimming at our beaches and the drownings that result.”
Beach and water safety would be paramount, and disaster risk management staff would be sent to all the city’s beaches and swimming pools to support lifeguards and law enforcement staff based there.
Smith said the city would clamp down on alcohol on beaches, as this was a “major” driver of violence. There would also be 440 disaster management volunteers to help locate missing children on beaches. “Specials” or volunteer auxiliary officers would boost the city’s operational capacity, especially on priority days such as Boxing Day, when thousands of people flocked to the city’s beaches.
Traffic operations during this period include checks on long-distance vehicles, roadblocks, blitzes on outstanding traffic fines and a clampdown on motorists driving and talking on the phone. An extra 120 seasonal firefighters would be used to help with vegetation fires and 75 reservists would boost fire and rescue services during the high-risk period.
But the city’s plan is not just about enforcement and zero tolerance. There will also be more opportunities for motorists to have free vehicle safety checks at several testing stations. MyCiTi services will be extended by 30 minutes from December 9 until Christmas Eve. On New Year’s Eve, all MyCiTi buses, except those on the airport route, will run until 1am on January 1.
Smith said the city was still waiting for a decision on whether a part of Long Street would be closed off. While this would have implications for law enforcement, it would also extend Long Street’s party space.
Incidents of domestic violence increased over this period, and he appealed for people to be mindful of the way they interacted with each other.
Important numbers:
* 107 from a Telkom line - to report all emergencies, including medical, crime, fire and traffic.
* 021 480 7700 for cellphone users, which will direct them to the city’s emergency line.
* 021 597 6003 - the city’s festive season hotline to deal with any complaints about services, repairs and maintenance at city beaches, swimming pools and other recreational facilities.
anel.lewis@inl.co.za
Cape Argus