Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Department has recorded a dramatic increase in the recovery of poached marine resources, with the latest figures showing a rise from 2,540 to 14,967 recovered items in just 12 months, Cape {town} Etc reports.
That represents an increase of almost 489%, making the performance of the City’s Marine Unit one of the standout achievements in the department’s latest annual results.
The figures also point to a broader push by Cape Town authorities to tackle the everyday offences that affect residents, from illegal liquor outlets and dumping to noise complaints, graffiti and by-law violations.
Marine Unit makes major gains
The sharp rise in recovered marine resources has been welcomed as evidence of stronger cooperation between Law Enforcement and other agencies working to protect Cape Town’s coastline and marine environment.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith attributed the improvement partly to closer relationships between enforcement agencies and better information-sharing.
He also highlighted the role of the City’s reward system in helping strengthen its information network.
For a city with an extensive coastline and a busy fishing and tourism economy, stronger enforcement against marine poaching has significance beyond the number of confiscated resources. Illegal harvesting can put additional pressure on already vulnerable marine resources while undermining legitimate fishing activity.
More than half a million fines issued
Marine enforcement was only one part of a busy year for Cape Town’s Law Enforcement officers.
The department issued more than 500,000 fines, representing a 48% increase compared with the previous year.
Officers also closed 953 illegal shebeens, while 247 vehicles connected to illegal dumping were impounded.
The City said its officers have the authority to confiscate items, make arrests, issue compliance notices and fines, and shut down illegal operations where appropriate.
Other notable achievements included:
- 3,061 animals impounded under the Animal Keeping By-law
- More than 1 kilometre of stolen copper cable recovered
- Nearly 37,000 square metres of graffiti cleaned
- 11,359 arrests made
- 172 firearms recovered
- 1,710 rounds of ammunition recovered
- 38,119.75 units of drugs recovered
Demand for enforcement services keeps growing
The workload facing the department has also increased substantially.
Cape Town Law Enforcement attended to more than 365,000 service requests during the 12-month period — a 17% increase from the previous year.
That figure gives some insight into the types of problems residents encounter in their neighbourhoods.
While violent crime remains a major concern across South Africa, Smith noted that residents also rely on enforcement services when dealing with illegal businesses, disruptive shebeens, dumping and other by-law violations.
For people living in densely populated areas of Cape Town, these issues can have a direct impact on their quality of life.
A stronger focus on local enforcement
Smith said the department had deliberately placed greater emphasis on its core responsibility of enforcing municipal by-laws while continuing its crime-prevention work.
The decentralisation of some specialised units to area enforcement level was also credited with helping improve results.
The approach effectively brings specialised enforcement closer to communities, allowing officers to respond to problems within local areas rather than relying solely on centralised operations.
Cape Town’s latest figures therefore tell a bigger story than simply a rise in arrests or confiscations. They show an enforcement department dealing with a growing number of requests while attempting to address the smaller, everyday violations that can shape how safe and liveable a neighbourhood feels.
Smith also urged residents to think about how their actions affect others, arguing that some by-law problems could be avoided if people showed greater consideration for those living around them.
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook
