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ADDITIONAL newly appointed metro police officers have been deployed to patrol and protect certain crime hotspots in the city, which have previously been monitored by private security guards.
This move came after the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s (MBDA) three-year contract with a private security firm ended.
The security firm provided this service to form part of the MBDA’s inner city security and safety programme, which was launched in 2015. “We had 22 security guards per shift over a three-year period in Central, which started in 2015 when we launched the crime prevention initiative. At the time, the Metro Police was not active yet,” said Luvuyo Bangazi, manager of marketing and communications of the MBDA.
The MBDA is working closely with the Metro Police to initiate collaborative plans to ensure safety in the city.
“We still have the crime prevention initiative currently in Richmond Hill and we will continue to make sure that the city is safe,” Bangazi said.
According to Bangazi, the MBDA had to make certain budget readjustments to fund its core operational mandate. The 22 private security officers were stationed at points in Parliament Street and Govan Mbeki Avenue, among other streets in Central.
“The security guards always worked closely and supported the police, but they do not possess the same power the police have.
“They can detain people and take them in, but have to consult with the police for further proceedings. We need the metro police because they have more power when it comes to crime,” Bangazi said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Police chief Yolande Faro confirmed that 11 metro police officers had been trained in June and had been deployed to the area based on crime statistics.
“The officers will be patrolling the CBD, Central and the beach front. We deploy according to the crime pattern and the crime threat analysis,” Faro said.
The metro police officers are trained to protect the residents of the city and to ensure that crime is kicked to the curb. “We are striving towards a safer city and to make sure that our residents are protected,” Faro added.
