Cape Town’s metro K9 unit ready for festive season
Sniffer dog Witneus during training. Sniffer dog Witneus showcases the progress the Braveheart Bio-Dog academy has made in using their new developed sophisticated training aids as well as holistic training programme for drug detection dogs and handlers. Oupa Mokoena African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - The metro police K9 unit will be on call to assist with all the law enforcement including the weighbridges and will be on standby if called upon when K9 searches are required this festive season.
“Metro police will be doing traffic enforcement, by-law enforcement and crime prevention.
“Metro police will also continue with their awareness exhibitions as a softer approach to still enhance on the Covid-19 awareness and will be walking on the beaches with loudhailers to keep the community informed and keep them aware of the Covid regulations that must be adhered to, to stop the spread during the second wave,” said metro police spokesperson Ruth Solomons.
Officers across the three enforcement agencies, metro police, traffic service and law enforcement will be involved in ensuring both vehicle and driver fitness as holiday traffic volumes spike said the City.
The City's traffic service launched Operation Exodus this week which will run until Christmas Eve.
The focus is on ensuring that long-distance transport vehicles are fit for purpose and that those behind the wheel have the necessary documentation to transport passengers.
Officers will also check on passenger loads, particularly the national disaster management regulation that long-distance loads do not exceed 70% of the carrying capacity, and that all occupants are wearing masks, which is compulsory.
Within the city, officers will concentrate on vehicle checkpoints and roadblocks at various locations.
Drunk driving, speeding, reckless and negligent driving, unlicensed drivers and unroadworthy vehicles are among the focus areas.
On the major highways and arterial routes, the metro police will continue its patrols to assist motorists in need.
Metro police will also have a presence on the N2 and R300 to deter attacks on motorists and to assist those who experience mechanical issues or fall victim to attack while driving.
Between July last year and June this year, the department assisted 2 450 motorists stranded on the highways.
Between July and September 552 motorists were assisted, and in October, there were 162 incidents.
Mechanical issues and motorists running out of fuel accounted for nearly 60% of the incidents.
The operational officers for metro police work on a 12-hour shift cycle 6am to 6pm and 6pm to 6am.
The Department has 534 uniform members/officers.
Weekend Argus