The City of Cape Town launched its new 24/7 tech-led highway patrol consisting of 30 vehicles and 40 officers yesterday (Thursday 3 November).
This unit was conceptualised in 2019, but the launch was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The City’s Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith says he is very happy to see the idea finally come to life for the benefit of road users and safer commuting.
“It will also be a boost in our effort to mitigate the risks posed by criminals on our highways. A dedicated highway patrol unit is a best-case practice that is used in leading police agencies around the world. As Cape Town continues to model its future policing functions in line with international standards this unit is a welcome addition to the existing enforcement services,” he says.
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The metro police have been doing some patrols on mainly the R300 and N2 for several years, amid an increase in attacks. This unit will increase patrols to other routes including the N7.
The patrol vehicles are equipped with automated license plate recognition (ANPR) technology.
“Technology has always shown its value along with enforcement agencies around the world. With the City making big inroads in integrating technology into its computer-aided dispatching and resource management platform, this trial project is already yielding results.
“We have come a long way down this road, but is still far from over. ANPR technology will soon allow us to automatically detect cloned number plates, and fake number plates and will alert us to those vehicles that have accumulated unpaid traffic fines or who are driven by owners with outstanding warrants of arrest.”
