The City of Cape Town’s new specialised Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and aerial surveillance units have already delivered results in the Helderberg, with intelligence-led arrests in both Strand and Somerset West among the early operational successes announced at the units’ launch.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, together with JP Smith, Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security, launched the new units at the City’s Joint Policing Services Operational Centre (JPSOC) in Goodwood on Wednesday 7 October.

The SWAT unit provides highly-skilled support for serious crime and high-risk incidents beyond conventional policing, while the Metro Police Aviation Unit focuses on aerial surveillance to combat crime faster, safer and smarter.

Helderberg hits

Early operational successes of the new units include intelligence-led arrests in Delft, Somerset West and Strand, a drug arrest in Tafelsig, tracking and arrest of a wanted suspect on the run in Elsies River, traffic and highway incident support, and support at beaches for liquor confiscations and enforcement.

“I was pleased to see the City’s new specialised units in action today,” said Hill-Lewis. “The City will continue doing whatever it takes to make Cape Town safer, and will stop at nothing to build our resources and powers, because that is what the public deserves and needs.”

SWAT support

The SWAT unit is equipped with an armoured vehicle, modern firearms and advanced technology, including night vision and heat detection. It provides support for combatting gang-related activity and extortion, executing high-risk warrants of arrest, hostage and barricaded suspect support to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and security at high-profile events.

“Expert SWAT team members have extensive SAPS Special Task Force experience, and are further supporting the City’s Training College to develop a detailed curriculum for future growth and continuity in this critical metro policing capacity,” said Smith.

Eyes in the sky

The Metro Police Aviation Unit includes officers with pilot certification, four types of aircraft for different operational needs, and specialised vehicles with connectivity, off-grid power and external monitors.

Key support areas include crime hotspot patrols, crowds and events, suspect tracking and surveillance, search and rescue, and land protection monitoring.

Detection is enhanced by thermal and zoom cameras, with AI-assisted tracking and laser rangefinder to pinpoint exact locations of suspects and activity, for example in bush or across rooftops. A live overhead picture is streamed to control centres, helping to direct and protect officers on the ground. High-resolution imagery and scene-mapping document evidence to support case dockets for investigations.

The unit can also provide a visible aerial presence to deter crime, including loudspeaker messaging and night-spotlight.

“Air support is a force multiplier, widening what officers can see and shortening the time to a confident, safe decision,” said Smith. “We have seen that drone flights and surveillance support early crime-fighting successes and arrests.”

Digital nerve centre

The live demonstration was conducted at the JPSOC, the City’s new digital nerve centre, now in the final stages of operationalisation, which will integrate all City policing resources and safety technologies deployed throughout the metro.

The JPSOC will integrate drones, body-worn cameras, in-vehicle cameras, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology, citizen and trusted partner apps, and artificial intelligence and automation.

The City’s body-camera deployment will soon reach 3 000 cameras in the field, while 530 enforcement vehicles have in-vehicle cameras with ANPR functionality and printers for warrants and summons.

“The various safety tech solutions we’ve introduced help create a real-time operational picture to improve situational awareness and inform decision-making,” said Smith. “We are now at a point where officers can stream live feeds to our operations centre from their mobile cameras, augmented by drone, ANPR and CCTV footage.”

Growing capacity

Hill-Lewis said the specialised units form part of broader safety investments, including over 1 300 new City police officers added in this term of office, a new Highway Patrol unit, major safety technology rollout, and the new digital nerve centre.

“The City’s growing policing capacity clearly shows that our officers are ready for expanded powers, especially to investigate gang, gun and drug crime,” he said. “We must make full use of all policing resources in Cape Town to bring a positive change for communities living in daily fear of violent crime.”

He added that the City is heartened by a 35% increase in SAPS requests to view City footage for police investigations over the last year. “This increases the chances of successful convictions as we work to expand our digital coordination and safety technology network.”