CITY TO ADD 700 COPS TO STREETS

THE City of Cape Town welcomed over 700 new metro police officials to their law enforcement force and promising to make the Mother City a safer place.

On Tuesday, Athlone Stadium hosted the Project 1000 graduation ceremony, with City mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the City’s safety and security boss JP Smith in attendance, along with family members of the brave graduates. 

According to Smith, the new officers will be deployed in every ward around the metropole. 

With gun violence terrorising communities around the Cape, Smith added that they are ready to partner with police and the national government. 

Smith said: “As a City making major investments in policing resources, we are sending a clear message today to our partners in SAPS and national government: we are here to help make Cape Town safer. 

“The City’s new deployment is the largest investment in new boots on the ground in over a decade. 

“It will include neighbourhood policing for every ward, a dedicated unit for the N2/Airport precinct, and more protection escorts for frontline service delivery teams in crime hotspots.”

The training programme for the new recruits included a 12-month traffic officer course, three-month metro police officer training with firearm competency training, civic academy training, specialised training which included Neighbourhood Safety Officer training, evidence-based policing, Emergency Police Incident Control (EPIC) training and additional tactical training.

The City said they are continuing to invest in growing its policing resources as more than 1200 officers have been deployed to major crime hotspots through the LEAP initiative partnered with the Western Cape Government.

Furthermore, a growth of more than 1100 uniformed officers since 2021 and new deployment of 700 more officers during spring.

Smith added that this investment is a declaration and a clear message to skollies that have been holding communities hostage that their time is running out.

He says: “The City is stepping up once more, every day we will work to ensure that decent and good people can again own their communities and feel safe at home and on the street.”