The City of Cape Town’s new tech-led Highway Patrol unit is making its presence felt on Cape Town’s main arterial routes, where officers are conducting patrols on a 24-hour basis.
Also read: The City launches technology-forward 24/7 Highway Patrol Unit
The new unit has been active since October 2022 and forms part of the Mayoral Priority Programme to make Cape Town safer by expanding safety resources and technology investments.
“Our new tech-led Highway Patrol Unit is making encouraging progress in making our roads safer, with 400 arrests in just four months. Safety technology investments underpin this success, with dash-cams and Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology fitted in their vehicles.
“Our officers can automatically track motorists with outstanding warrants, spot duplicate or cloned license plates, and identify stolen vehicles or those used in a crime. This has led to 15 arrests in the new unit’s short lifespan for possession of stolen or hijacked vehicles.
“It is clear that a technology-based approach to crime-fighting multiplies the effectiveness of our officers. This unit is a part of the shift towards a 24 hour presence, which we are steadily expanding in key parts of the city,” said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
“These successes underscore the importance of investing not just in more visible policing resources, but also the accompanying technology to make our streets safer.
“It not only allows our officers to deal with incidents more swiftly, but also prevents unnecessary stops, as they’re able to sharpen their focus, thanks to the ANPR technology.
“The City is continuing its investment into resourcing the Safety and Security Directorate and ensuring that our efforts are in line with international standards, in the interest of public safety, and the Highway Patrol unit is but one example of this. I am very pleased with the results thus far, and look forward to even greater things from these officers, but our uniformed services in general,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
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Picture: City of Cape Town