Cape Town’s new policing nerve centre in Goodwood is nearing completion, with the City of Cape Town promising expanded real-time coordination and a stronger partnership with police in the fight against crime.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the new 8 000m² Joint Public Safety Operations Centre on Monday, accompanied by JP Smith, Mayco member for safety and security.

The digital nerve centre will integrate all City policing resources and safety technologies already deployed throughout the metro, the City said.

Officers expanded and technology ramped up

Hill-Lewis said the City had grown its policing personnel by 1 300 officers in this term of office, bringing the total to over 3 800, while investing in cutting-edge safety technologies and digital coordination.

“I was excited to see progress on our new policing nerve centre today, which is almost ready to roll as the major new coordination hub for City policing and safety technology. This is the next big step forward in making Cape Town safer for everyone,” he said.

Hill-Lewis said the new operations centre would coordinate expanded policing efforts, making the City an even stronger partner to the police.

“This new centre is also further evidence that our City policing services are ready and able for expanded powers, especially to investigate gang, gun and drug crime. 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,” said Hill-Lewis.

Technologies to be integrated

The centre will integrate a range of existing and emerging policing technologies, including:

• Drones operated through the City’s Aviation Unit and third-party service providers;
• Body-Worn Cameras, In-Vehicle Cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology;
• Citizen and Trusted Partner Apps to strengthen communication and information sharing;
• Artificial Intelligence and automation.

Smith said the City’s bodycam deployment would soon reach 3 000 cameras in the field, while 530 enforcement vehicles had In-Vehicle Cameras with Automated Number Plate Recognition functionality and printers for warrants and summons.

The Metro Police Strategic Surveillance Unit detected 41 005 incidents via CCTV in 2025/’26, resulting in 541 arrests — an 18% increase on the year before.

Real-time operational picture

Smith said the various safety technology solutions introduced helped create a real-time operational picture to improve situational awareness and inform decision-making.

“We are now at a point where officers can stream live feeds to our operations centre from their mobile cameras, augmented by drone, Automatic Number Plate Recognition and CCTV footage. I am excited to see how we can keep building on this to advance public safety into the future,” he said.

He added that the City was heartened by a 35% increase in police requests to view its footage as a potential investigative resource.

“As we work to expand our digital coordination and safety technology network, the potential evidentiary benefits increase the chances of successful prosecutions,” said Smith.

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