The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is taking a smart and multidisciplinary approach to the fight against the scourge of crime.
Ranked as the 9th city in the world regarding violent crime, the Metro’s Safety and Security Directorate has conceded that traditional methods of policing have not yielded the desired results.
The Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu recently announced the deployment of more officers, including members of specialised units, that will work with the Metro Police and the entire security cluster value chain.
On Friday, 16 August 2024 Minister Mchunu visited Soweto on Sea in Nelson Mandela Bay to hold a much-needed community engagement. He was accompanied by the Executive Mayor, Gary van Niekerk; Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane and the MEC for Safety and Liaison, Xolile Nqatha.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security, Councillor Stag Mitchel said capitalising on technology in fighting against crime is a priority for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
“Working with the private sector, we need to be swift in ensuring that our smart tools are in place with well-capacitated personnel. I have advised the team to move quickly on reactivating CCTV cameras, deploying more gunshot spotters across the Metro, and having surveillance vehicles in every area, especially hotspots,” said MMC Mitchel.
According to the plan submitted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Metro Police Commissioner, Andrew Moses, which will be integrated into the broader strategy to be implemented, the use of smart technology, on-the-ground supported community policing, and the collaboration of the entire security cluster will turn the tide against crime.
“The magnitude of what we are faced with demands that we work smarter and closer with our communities. Working CCTV cameras, gunshot technology, mobile surveillance vehicles, biometric access, and metal detectors in businesses and offices are some of the many plans that we can implement,” said Commissioner Moses.
Commissioner Moses said the smart approach, however, will not work if it is not properly coordinated and well-resourced. “In support of the smart efforts and the community policing on the ground, we need a well-capacitated Joint Operations Centre as a centre of coordination.”
Moses said he was pleased with the close cooperation and teamwork with the South African Police Services. “The deployments, including specialised units, will definitely make a difference.” Moses also emphasised that any policing activity will not work if the communities do not work with and support the law enforcement machinery.
“Community safety forums in all areas are critical. We need a strategy that will suffocate, isolate, and expose the criminals in our own communities,” said Moses.
The Metro, led by the Deputy Executive Mayor, Babalwa Lobishe, is also working with the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber on a number of crime-fighting initiatives. The implementation of such initiatives will be announced soon.
NMB Communications
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