Cape Town’s first batch of “auxiliary” law enforcement officers will start patrolling the city’s beaches this festive season.
|||Cape Town - Cape Town’s first batch of “auxiliary” law enforcement officers will start patrolling the city’s beaches and popular recreational hotspots this festive season, in a move that sees Cape Town as one of the first cities in the country to use reserve law enforcement officers.
The first intake of the officers will be ready for the busy festive season.
JP Smith, the city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the officers would be ready to start work in the peak period between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
He said the officers would patrol beaches, focusing on dealing with alcohol on beaches. This was key, he said, because alcohol was a factor in many drownings.
They would also help to prevent drownings, assisting beachgoers in trouble.
“We’re quite excited that after the delays, it’s finally happening,” Smith said.
The policy would now go to a full council for approval.
The city council first decided to have law enforcement “reservists” two years ago. However the move was delayed, most recently because the SA Police Service did not agree with the wording “reservist”. It said the word could create confusion with its own reservist officers.
The police also wanted the city to remove any reference to compensation in its policy to not create expectations of salary for other reservists.
In response, the city changed the term to auxiliary officers.
Some of the volunteer officers will work in the areas in which they live. But because these residents are employed elsewhere, they will not have completed the full training by the festive season. Part-time training can take about three months. Once trained, the volunteers will lead after-hours patrols with neighbourhood watches.
Some of the officers will be in full uniform and Smith said this was the group which would play a critical role in bolstering law enforcement over the festive season.
However, potential officers must meet a strict set of standards to make the cut. All officers must pass a check to ensure they do not have criminal records.
Other criteria include that officers must be older than 21 and have a senior certificate. There will also be a physical check to make sure the officers are in good health.
bronwynne.jooste@inl.co.za
Cape Argus