The Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Safety & Security department has increased the number of public safety officers (PSOs) and CCID-funded City Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) within its portfolio.
Says Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks, manager of CCID Safety & Security: “As from 31 August, the number of our PSOs has increased from 230 to 250 and the number of LEOs has increased from 16 to 20. Having the additional PSOs and LEOs will go a long way in enhancing our safety presence on street level in terms of the top-up services we provide in addition to those delivered by our primary safety partners, the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement agency and SAPS.”
Throughout the year and around the clock, the CCID’s PSOs - who are contracted via Iliso Protection Services - work in shifts to patrol the streets of the CBD. With their bright green bibs and caps, these PSOs are the most visible presence of the CCID in the Central City. They can be found both on foot and in vehicles, in constant radio contact with the CCID’s 24/7 control centre (082 415 7127), SAPS’s radio control centre and the City’s Cyclops unit (CCTV network) providing intel to help prevent crime in the CBD. The CCID’s dedicated City Law Enforcement Officers work together with the PSOs and fulfil an important role by providing powers of arrest and by being able to issue fines, giving the organisation the full reach of the law.
The latest strategy to increase the number of PSOs and LEOs follows the introduction of 12 precinct commanders on 1 June 2018 within the CCID’s Safety & Security portfolio. The precinct commanders oversee that the CCID PSOs carry out their functions as stipulated by the service-level agreement (SLA) between the CCID and its service provider. They also play a vital role in being the bridge between the four full-time Safety & Security team members who oversee the 250 PSOs.
Opening image: CCID Public Safety Officer Abongile Mavela and Law Enforcement Officer Ridwaan Nero - Image by Scott Arendse