City’s Stabilisation Unit makes its mark

25 August 2015

One month into its launch and deployment, the Law Enforcement’s Stabilisation Unit has arrested nearly 50 suspects in Manenberg as it works closely with the SAPS and other City role players. Read more below:

The City of Cape Town’s Stabilisation Unit continues to make inroads since its launch on 24 July 2015. The unit forms part of the City’s Law Enforcement Department, as explained in the link here.

The Stabilisation Unit currently has 32 members deployed in Manenberg to augment ongoing enforcement operations by the South African Police Service as well as the City’s Metro Police and Law Enforcement Departments. The rest of the 90-strong unit will be deployed in the coming weeks.

For the period 24 July to 20 August 2015, the unit arrested 47 suspects and confiscated 30 dangerous weapons as well as 324 units of drugs. They conducted searches of 73 houses, six schools and held 163 vehicle checkpoints. Officers issued 261 traffic fines to the value of R176 700.

‘Having additional feet on the ground has certainly lightened the load of the South African Police Service and the Metro Police Gang and Drug Task Team, freeing them up to focus on the gang violence that has plagued Manenberg. The results are clear to see, with a downturn in the number of shooting incidents in the last while. This is a great example of inter-agency cooperation on the ground,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

Other Stabilisation Unit successes have included the recovery of a vehicle stolen in Kwazulu-Natal during a vehicle checkpoint as well as an arrest. The unit also arrested a ‘high flyer’ in Hanover Park who was found in possession of a zip gun. 

‘I hope these successes serve as a warning to criminals that the role of Law Enforcement is not limited to by-law and traffic enforcement only. These officers are mandated to tackle any issues of criminality that they come across and so they should not be underestimated. It doesn’t matter what colour the uniform or which agency an officer is attached to, fighting crime is everyone’s business. We are also looking at establishing one or two more tabilization units to attend to other hotspots in the city,’ added Alderman Smith.

Statement issued by Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, City of Cape Town, August 25 2015