Cape Town deploys more boots on the ground for festive season

CAPE TOWN - More than 5,000 extra law enforcement officers will be deployed in Cape Town over the festive season.

The City of Cape Town said the additional officers are recent graduates from its cadet programme.

The move was announced on Wednesday during the launch of the City’s Festive Season Tourism Safety Plan.

The metro said apart from having more boots on the ground, the use of security technology will be a significant part of its crime-fighting efforts over the holidays.

It said its safety officers will be issued with bodycam devices to record daily activities and events.

READ: WC police launch safer festive season operation

The City's Safety and Security MMC, JP Smith said the cameras will be able to capture evidence of events that can be used in a court of law.

"CCTV, ISR, and Gunfire detection. So there's significant outcomes being achieved. You have to be ignorant of the fact to try and suggest otherwise," Smith said.

Smith said the "skop, skiet en donder" approach could not be the way to fight crime as the courts use a body of evidence to make judgments.