In a bid to revitalise Bellville CBD, the City of Cape Town is intensifying law enforcement measures, with a dedicated 50-officer deployment targeting Bellville, Mitchells Plain and Wynberg to enhance safety.
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According to News24, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, alongside Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, joined an integrated policing operation in Bellville CBD today.
Bellville CBD has been bolstered with 18 dedicated officers, while an additional 32 officers have been assigned to Mitchells Plain Town Centre and Wynberg CBD.
This specialised deployment supplements the existing general force of area law enforcement, traffic and metro police in each region.
Great news! 😄 More law enforcement officers have been deployed to our Bellville, Mitchells Plain and Wynberg CBDs to increase safety for our residents and businesses! 🚔👮👏
Read more: https://t.co/OULuwTxD2S pic.twitter.com/lsROcRAxrT
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) July 23, 2024
This expansion to additional CBDs builds on the City’s successful initiative, which saw 100 law enforcement officers deployed to Cape Town’s main CBD since July 2022, resulting in over 1 800 arrests in the 2023-24 financial year, 30% of which were drug-related.
‘During this morning’s integrated operation in Bellville I was pleased to hear that our bolstered policing operations led to 39 arrests – more than 50% of these drug-related – in June, the first full month of the new dedicated deployment,’ Mayor Hill-Lewis announced.
‘We are crowding dedicated policing resources into key CBDs as part of efforts to make Cape Town safer and boost economic activity. The 150 dedicated officers across the City Bowl, Bellville, Mitchells Plain and Wynberg are already on the ground working to make them safer for both residents and businesses.’
Smith highlighted that the City’s dedicated resources are gaining in-depth knowledge of the unique challenges in each CBD, significantly enhancing the quality and efficiency of policing operations.
‘For communities it is an opportunity to establish relationships and trust with the uniformed services working in their area for the benefit of all,’ Smith added.
In June, Bellville CBD saw significant policing activity, resulting in 39 arrests (including 20 for drug-related offenses), 403 vehicle and personal searches, 351 parking fines, and 57 fines for informal trading violations.
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Picture: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo