KEY POINTS
- Mayor Hill-Lewis adds 500 officers to fight violent crime.
- 1,000 new law enforcement recruits are deployed under Hill-Lewis’ leadership.
- Cape Town boosts armed security and insources services for staff safety.
In order to combat violent crime in the city, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis anticipates the deployment of 500 additional law enforcement personnel.
Mayor Hill-Lewis plans to deploy 500 new law enforcement officers.
The new police will get to know the regions they are assigned to and try to crack down on criminal activity, according to Hill-Lewis. With this deployment, 1,000 cops have been hired since the beginning of his administration.
Hill-Lewis said the city would insource security services to end the cycle of extortion and enhance safety for employees who provide services when he presented a more than R39 billion budget for 2025–2026 on Thursday.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been trying in vain for years to give the province more authority over law enforcement.
The city is currently bolstering its own police force, making sure that officers are stationed in each ward and are knowledgeable about the kinds of crimes that occur there.
Mayor promises well-trained officers to aid SAPS crime efforts.
“We now have a substantial R6.7 billion budget for safety and security for the upcoming year,” Hill-Lewis stated. “This demonstrates our dedication to helping the South African Police Service (SAPS) combat crime and doing everything within our power to make Cape Town a safer city.”
According to Ewn, the city plans to provide 220 council employees with armed security escort services.
In order to better serve the public, particularly in informal settlements, we hope that this will stop the attacks on our frontline employees, Hill-Lewis continued.
The additional metro policemen will be trained to create case dockets to assist SAPS in removing criminals from the streets, the mayor stressed.
