Keith Blake, Ottery
Last week I read an article (“Police taken to task”, Southern Mail, June 19). What struck me was the response by councillor William Akim which I have attached, which states that for each ward there will be a dedicated Metro police officer.
Now that article tells me applying the reasonable man criteria that one Metro police officer is going to patrol a ward to enhance Metro police presence. If I interpret that response that means that one Metro police officer in the killing fields in the gang area can take out a funeral policy as his or her firearm is going to be taken.
Or does the article have another meaning that there is going to be Metro police in force in each ward but one dedicated officer is going to be the link between other law enforcement agencies and the community? Please give a clear-worded response what is meant by one dedicated officer will be in each ward.
Ian Schnetler, acting executive director, safety and security directorate, City of Cape Town, responds: To increase operational efficiency it’s envisaged that a law enforcement officer deployed in a ward will team up with the officer in an adjacent ward.
There will be a soft border between the two wards and the two officers will share a vehicle that will allow them to patrol both wards.
The law enforcement officers will work from existing facilities in their wards. Teamwork also assist with safety of officers when dealing with enforcement issues.
Training of officers will include spotting of service delivery problems or potential problems and reporting on behalf of the community.