The City of Cape Town says it is ready to launch a new Highway Patrol Unit.
The Unit will consist of 27 members, including 3 supervisory staff, and should launch in the next month, pending the delivery of their vehicles.
The Unit will help curb lawlessness on the City’s highways, but it’s also aimed to help curb hijackings.
The good news comes on the back of yet another hijacking incident Monday.
In the latest incident, law enforcement officers arrested 2 armed suspects near Jakes Gerwel drive, shortly after they hijacked a goods vehicle.
Members of the public alerted the officers who were busy with a vehicle checkpoint in the area.
Law Enforcement members immediately set off in the direction and identified the hijacked goods vehicle, a white Hyundai.
One of the suspects took flight but after a foot chase by the officers, he was arrested along with a prohibited firearm and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Officers managed to arrest both suspects, which were handed over at Elsiesriver SAPS. The vehicle was recovered without any further incident and all goods were retrieved.
The Mayoral Committee Member JP Smith says curbing hijackings require specialist intervention, and the city is exploring additional ways to combat this crime.
This includes deploying the latest technology as well as improving partnerships with the private sector.
Additional training and technology are also to be explored for the soon-to-be-launched Highway Patrol Unit, to mimic the same best practice procedure for combating hijackings used within the USA.
I must congratulate the Law Enforcement officers for their quick thinking action.
The City will now assist the SAPS Detectives with the investigation to ensure the case docket is prepared as efficiently as possible, to allow for the best chance of a speedy conviction for the perpetrators concerned.
A few days ago, JP Smith shared more information about the Highway Patrol Unit on his Facebook page:
