Kailin Daniels
kailin.daniels@novusmedia.co.za
Residents of wards 107 and 113 can look forward to a significant boost in safety and law enforcement, as the City of Cape Town announces the proposed deployment of new Metro Police officers dedicated to these areas. Equipped with both law-enforcement and traffic powers, these officers will work closely with police, neighbourhood-watch groups and community structures to enhance security and address crime more effectively.
The City of Cape Town is gearing-up for a transformative year, as it prepares to table the Draft Budget for 2025-’26, placing a record-breaking investment in safety and security.
The proposed budget aims to strengthen emergency-response services, enhance law enforcement and boost economic growth through improved event management.
Local ward councillor Jonathan Mills has highlighted the significance of this investment for the greater Table View and Parklands suburbs.
“This is huge news for our area,” he declared. “Right now, that’s 12 new Metro Police officers dedicated to Wards 107 and 113.
“These officers will have both law-enforcement and traffic powers, and there is hope that future regulatory changes may grant them additional investigative powers to support police in crime-fighting efforts.”
Here’s what the City is proposing
- More firefighters: A significant boost for Fire and Rescue Services, with many more firefighters to help combat the increasing number of fires we face every year.
- Dedicated Metro Police area teams: Every ward in Cape Town will get its own dedicated group of young, fully qualified, and equipped Metro police officers. They’ll work closely with community structures, police and neighbourhood-watch patrollers to become champions of safety. Each team will adopt a community-policing approach, understanding the unique challenges and difficulties faced in each ward.
- Extra deployment: Additional deployment will focus on the N2 and surroundings as a major arterial road, prioritising commuter safety.
- Improving security of facilities and protecting City repair teams: The City will reduce expenditure on private security and guarding and instead insource this by investing in more uniformed, armed enforcement staff with policing powers.
- SWAT Team: The City is establishing its own Special Weapons and Tactics team to take the battle to violent criminals.
- Improved emergency response: With the challenges experienced by the national 10 111 call centre, the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre has now become the first choice for many who find themselves in distress. The budget will increase the number of emergency call takers to ensure quick responses to emergency calls.
- Boosting events and economy: The Events Department will receive additional funding to speed up event applications and attract more business into Cape Town, helping to further expand the 45 000 job opportunities this sector already creates and stimulate our events sector. This is the largest investment into the safety and security directorate since 2010. Residents will have the opportunity to comment on the budget during the public participation phase,” the City said.
