Statement by the City of Cape Town’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato

While police pursue the suspect involved in the brazen stabbing that took place earlier this week, any member of the public who may have information must please come forward and assist authorities in tracking down the suspect.

This incident also shows the valuable role that surveillance technology can play in criminal matters.

The suspect was caught on one of the City’s closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and his image has been widely shared. This footage will assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) in arresting the suspect and I am sure that members of the public will be on the look-out for the suspect and help the authorities apprehend the man.

Such criminal acts take place when the perpetrators believe there are no consequences for their actions and we can never allow that to be the case.

I also want to thank the residents who rushed to the victim’s assistance as their actions are likely to have saved her life.

CCTV cameras are a significant help to law enforcement agencies and make apprehending suspects less time-consuming.

The safety of our residents and our visitors is critically important and that is why the City has a network of 1 600 cameras, one of the largest on the continent to support law enforcement efforts.

Between December 2018 and February 2019 CCTV cameras detected 1 512 incidents of a criminal nature.

‘CCTV cameras are an important tool to reduce crime in the city. Ward councillors are encouraged to invest in CCTV cameras where crime hotspots are identified. The City’s CCTV cameras are monitored closely by staff trained to identify suspicious behaviour which facilitates proactive policing,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

Dozens of new CCTV cameras are planned to be rolled out through ward allocation budgets.

For the current financial year, ward allocation projects within the City’s Safety and Security Directorate amount to nearly R17 million.

This includes the installation of CCTV and licence plate recognition cameras, communication equipment for neighbourhood watch organisations and extra personnel employed through the City’s Rent-a-Cop Programme.

As the Mayor of Cape Town I committed to putting more law enforcement on our streets and we have already started with the recently deployed eighteen extra officers to the CBD, and the additional 100 being deployed to the areas of Bonteheuwel and Bishop Lavis later this month.

The City’s law enforcement officers support SAPS who are the primary law enforcement agency. Safety in all parts of Cape Town is important to me, and this is why we have allocated an additional R165 million towards our safety efforts.

We call on the SAPS to arrest the suspect as soon as possible.

Source: City Of Cape Town