Renewed calls for increased police visibility outside the courts

There are renewed calls for more police visibility outside the country's court buildings, following a spate of deadly shootings in Cape Town recently.

Police are probing a double murder outside the Athlone Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

In August, a man was shot dead and another injured outside the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court.

Then five suspects will be going on trial soon for their involvement in a brazen fatal shooting inside the Wynberg Magistrate's Court in April.

Senior Researcher at Judges Matter, Mbekezeli Benjamin says security needs to be beefed up in and around courts.

ALSO READ: Judges Matter calls for intensified SAPS patrols after double murder outside Athlone court

"It does require that the South African Police Service in the Western Cape intensify their patrols and other security measures around court buildings. This is an incident that the police do need to pay close attention to."

Athlone CPF chairperson Vernon Piedt says communities also need to play a role in exposing the people involved in these attacks.

"We also have to have a greater interaction more with the courts and the police to make sure things like this doesn't happen."