Cape Town - The City of Cape Town is ensuring commuters are safe when they move around public transport interchanges.
Yesterday, it launched the Public Transport Facilities Safety Team which forms part of the City’s Transport Enforcement Unit, at the Mitchells Plain Town Centre. The City identified the hot spots, one of which was where the launch took place.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “The team will soon commence with active duty at public transport facilities where there is an urgent need for additional safety and security interventions.
“The deployment will be based on hot-spot identification by our data analysts from the City’s Public Transport Department. This will ensure that resources are deployed where most needed, based on sound evidence.
“I trust this joint initiative with the Western Cape Mobility Department will contribute to our efforts to make transport facilities safer for our commuters, transport operators, and all who use these spaces.”
The City said it had already deployed officers from the Transport Enforcement Unit at the public transport interchanges (PTI) in Bellville, the Station Deck in the Cape Town CBD, and Joe Gqabi.
“We are committed to improving safety in Cape Town and keeping Capetonians safer. We know we’ve got such a long way to go to make them truly feel safer, and across our country so many families suffer daily the reality of violent crime,” Hill-Lewis said.
“We know that it is a very long and big mountain to climb and turn the tide around, but we will not do that sitting on our hands and saying it’s too difficult to tackle. We are absolutely going to do what we can, with what we have, and where we are.
“These deployments might not be enormous but they are an intervention that is targeted at the hot spots.”
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the officers were a roving team.
“They are now busy with induction and, once done, will be deployed where they are needed. They will be patrolling on foot, and doing inspections to prevent drug peddling, to ensure organised informal trading, and to address by-law contraventions. They will be able to make arrests, and issue fines. The team will work closely with the Transport Enforcement Unit, Traffic Services, and Law Enforcement.”
Smith told the Cape Argus the City had 18 members and had added 16 officers to the team.
“This means we can cover more public transport interchanges, both with static deployment and the roving team that goes PTI to PTI,” he said.
Smith said the units would be equipped with body cameras and, when needed, drones.
We have deployed additional law enforcement officers at public transport facilities across Cape Town, starting today at Mitchells Plain town centre 👮♂️🚨
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) October 24, 2023
We’re working hard to make Cape Town safer for all residents, particularly those using public transport stations 🚏🚌 pic.twitter.com/4PsM0RR3qI
Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said they would like to have officers stationed at the public transport facilities but there were not enough resources.
“Getting funding for more boots on the ground is one of our primary challenges that we have, with unlimited funding we would have more.
“The City’s recently approved Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan (CITP) indicates that up to 22% of commuters use minibus-taxi services, and an additional 9% use bus services such as GABS, MyCiTi and Sibanye.”
Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said getting people to and from work safely is a top priority for the Western Cape Government.
“I am pleased that this partnership is resulting in concrete action to make public transport facilities safer. The presence of this safety team will not only improve mobility, but will also improve the environment for economic activity in these spaces.”