Sixteen more municipal police officers have been deployed to the Wynberg CBD, says the City.
The officers, a mix of Metro Police and City Law Enforcement, will be on duty from 9am to 4pm daily for two weeks after which their deployment times will be assessed and amended, according to operational needs, says mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith.
Similar deployments are also happening in the Mitchell’s Plain and Bellville CBDs in an effort to mirror successes the City says it saw when it deployed 100 officers in the Cape Town CBD in 2022.
According to the City, those officers made 185 arrests, and issued thousands of fines in their first quarter on the beat.
“We are taking what we’ve learnt with this project and trialling it, on a smaller scale, in Mitchell’s Plain, Wynberg and Bellville. Our CBDs are important economic hubs and transit connection points. Creating safer environments will lead to higher footfall, which in turn will boost economic activity,“ said Mr Smith.
He and ward councillors Carmen Siebritz and Emile Langenhoven toured the Wynberg CBD with the newly deployed officers last Friday.
Mr Smith said the deployment was a good first step in Wynberg’s urban regeneration as the officers would help to reverse the crime and grime that deterred reinvestment.
Speaking to the officers, Mr Langenhoven said: “We’ve seen this chaos eating into Wynberg for a long time now, and we have to start pushing that back because right now these criminals think they’ve got us under the thumb. Your job here is to stabilise and then to actually drive them out of this community.”
Ms Siebritz said: “The task at hand is to reform the Wynberg CBD and public transport interchange to its former glory. I look forward to many more positive changes in Wynberg. With the assistance of businesses, commuters and local residents, we will not only beat the scourge of drugs and gangsterism, but I’m certain we’ll get to minimise rough sleeping over time too.”
