“While crime is a constant occurrence since time immemorial, the displacement of criminal activities with an efficient policing system will make the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality much safer.”
Known for his strong stance on combating crime, Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk made this statement following this week’s council meeting where crime was high on the agenda in the local legislature. “It is clear that criminals upped their game with the kidnappings, extortions, robberies and murders taking place in areas where there are no surveillance systems.
“We must drive them out of Gqeberha, Kariega, our townships and the Northern Areas by making it impossible for criminals to operate without being exposed and captured.
“While we are getting our camera surveillance system up and running, I would like to appeal to business owners to meet us halfway by installing camera surveillance systems at their business premises.
“We also did an assessment of the cameras, that we had in storage for a number of years and found that ninety percent of them are still usable.
“The procurement process to appoint a service provider to manage the system that will form a critical part of our Rapid Response on Crime (RROC) system, will involve all law enforcement agencies, including our own Metro Police and private security companies.
“Continuous engagements with communities in the hotspot areas will take place to ensure that we involve all pertinent stakeholders in order to comprehensively address criminality in Nelson Mandela Bay.“We will also engage with provincial and national government to combine resources, in line with the District Development Model, to fight crime.
“It is especially encouraging to see the commitment of the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, who will be visiting us for a third time after bolstering our current police force with an additional deployment of three hundred officers.
“As much as we are grateful for the boots on the ground, we still have to use technology such as ShotSpotter and cameras for evidence gathering purposes and to direct our deployment operations,” Mayor Van Niekerk said.
NMB Communications
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