Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the new facility protection officers (FPO) law enforcement unit in a rainy Cape Town on Tuesday.
The mayor and his team introduced 280 officers that will be protecting the city's facilities from extortion, theft and vandalism.
“The officers are going to be helping to protect our city infrastructure, our facilities, and to protect our front line service delivery teams when they deliver services in a dangerous communities. They often, inexplicably and outrageously, come under attack from a tiny minority of bad people who want to rob ambulance drivers and paramedics, firefighters, teams that are fixing water pipes and so on,” Hill-Lewis said.
“So instead of taking up police and law enforcement resources to escort those teams, this team will now be able to provide a permanent escort service for our frontline service teams and also to protect our facilities from vandalism and theft.”
Among the areas of deployment are Beacon Valley, Bonteheuwel, Brown’s Farm, Delft, Delft South, Eersteriver, Hanover Park, Harare, Imizamo Yethu, Kuyasa, Langa, Lavender Hill, Leonsdale, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Netreg, Nyanga, Philippi East, Retreat, Seawinds, Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Site C, Tafelsig, Uitsig and Wesban.
“The city spends R60m rent a year fixing things, facilities, walls, infrastructure that has been vandalised and broken. The system will use a front yard that does not include cable systems. We are spending R500,000 rent a week replacing stolen cables in our city. Add that up — that's about another R25m a year.”
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WATCH | New Cape Town force will protect frontline staff, stop theft and extortion — mayor
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the new facility protection officers (FPO) law enforcement unit in a rainy Cape Town on Tuesday.
The mayor and his team introduced 280 officers that will be protecting the city's facilities from extortion, theft and vandalism.
“The officers are going to be helping to protect our city infrastructure, our facilities, and to protect our front line service delivery teams when they deliver services in a dangerous communities. They often, inexplicably and outrageously, come under attack from a tiny minority of bad people who want to rob ambulance drivers and paramedics, firefighters, teams that are fixing water pipes and so on,” Hill-Lewis said.
“So instead of taking up police and law enforcement resources to escort those teams, this team will now be able to provide a permanent escort service for our frontline service teams and also to protect our facilities from vandalism and theft.”
Among the areas of deployment are Beacon Valley, Bonteheuwel, Brown’s Farm, Delft, Delft South, Eersteriver, Hanover Park, Harare, Imizamo Yethu, Kuyasa, Langa, Lavender Hill, Leonsdale, Manenberg, Masiphumelele, Netreg, Nyanga, Philippi East, Retreat, Seawinds, Sir Lowry’s Pass Village, Site C, Tafelsig, Uitsig and Wesban.
“The city spends R60m rent a year fixing things, facilities, walls, infrastructure that has been vandalised and broken. The system will use a front yard that does not include cable systems. We are spending R500,000 rent a week replacing stolen cables in our city. Add that up — that's about another R25m a year.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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