News

Role players resolve to integrate operations to fight crime on Table Mountain Cape Town, 20 September 2007 – The integration of operations between the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), SAPS, City of Cape Town’s Metro Police and safety volunteers is of utmost importance in the fight against crime on Table Mountain.

This was agreed at a meeting convened by the TMNP at which the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Tourism, Cape Town Routes Unlimited, SATSA (Southern African Tourism Services Association) and the SAPS on Monday, 17 September 2007, were present.

One of the key decisions taken at the meeting is that the SAPS will increase co-operation amongst the 13 police stations bordering the TMNP. The station commanders will ensure that they communicate TMNP-related incidents amongst each other and to the Caledon Square JOC (Joint Operations Centre).

The Caledon Square JOC is now the main control and command centre for TMNP-related crime incidents for the SAPS. The SAPS has also undertaken to do plain clothes patrols on Table Mountain. TMNP will form a Visitor Safety Council to review and implement the Park’s strategy across the mountain chain.

The committee will meet once a month and will advise on intelligence gathered and analyzed in order to map Park vulnerabilities and develop response plans. It will be made up of representatives of SANParks Corporate Intelligence Services, TMNP managers, the SAPS and a TMNP Park Forum safety representative. The first meeting is scheduled for 1 October 2007. The TMNP Kloof Nek command and control centre will be the dispatch and deployment point for all TMNP-led crime-combating operations and will liaise with the Caledon Square JOC to dovetail operations.

The TMNP will approach the Western Cape provincial government to assist with the setting up and operation of the centre. The TMNP undertook to train its 17 Hoerikwaggo Trails mountain guides and additional conservation rangers to observe and report crime vulnerabilities to the TMNP visitor safety rangers.

The Park is currently busy training 20 mountain guides who will act as step on guides for foreign tourists. The meeting also resolved that the three volunteer organizations involved in visitor safety management will integrate operations and be coordinated by a Park Forum representative.

The City of Cape Town will continue to monitor the CCTV cameras and communicate suspicious activity to the SAPS and the TMNP’s Visitor Safety Rangers. They undertook further to assist with the management of car guards at Tafelberg and Signal Hill Roads and will initiate the use of the new city bylaw to effect this measure. The City will also investigate the possibility of funding training for safety volunteers.

Cape Town Tourism will prepare a sustainable business plan for the training and staffing of the Visitor Information Centres which will be submitted at the follow-up meeting to be held on Monday, 1 October 2007.

The full stakeholder group has been scheduled a follow-up meeting on Thursday, 1 November 2007 and the respective stakeholders will report back on their respective assignments.

For further information, please contact: Phumeza Mgxashe Spokesperson, Table Mountain National Park Cell: 083 589 8588