SEE: New City SWAT unit and aerial surveillance launched

The City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate has new specialised SWAT and aerial surveillance units. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith launched the units at the City’s new Joint Public Safety Operations Centre (JPSOC) in Goodwood on Wednesday.

According to the City, the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit will provide highly skilled support for serious crime and high-risk incidents beyond conventional policing, while the Metro Police Aviation Unit focuses on aerial surveillance for faster, safer and smarter ways to combat crime.

Speaking at the launch, Mayor Hill-Lewis said the new units form part of the City’s broader safety investments. This includes over 1,300 new City police officers, a new Highway Patrol unit, a major safety technology rollout, and a new state-of-the-art digital nerve centre to coordinate all City policing operations.

“The City’s growing policing capacity clearly shows that our officers are ready for expanded powers, especially to investigate gang, gun and drug crime. We must make full use of all policing resources in Cape Town to bring a positive change for communities living in daily fear of violent crime”

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Hill-Lewis added that the City is also heartened by the 35% increase in South African Police Service (SAPS) requests to view its footage for police investigations over the last year. This reportedly increases the chances of successful convictions.

The SWAT Unit will provide support for combating gang-related activity and extortion, executing high-risk warrants of arrest, hostage and barricaded suspects support to SAPS and security at high-profile events.

Smith said the Unit is equipped with an armoured vehicle, modern firearms, and other advanced tech – including night vision and heat detection.

“Expert SWAT team members have extensive SAPS Special Task Force experience, and are further supporting the City’s Training College to develop a detailed curriculum for future growth and continuity in this critical metro policing capacity,” said Smith

The City added that the Metro Police Aviation Unit includes certified pilot officers, four types of aircraft for different operational needs, and specialised vehicles with connectivity, off-grid power, and external monitors.

The Metro Police Aviation Unit’s key support areas include crime hotspot patrols, crowds and events, suspect tracking and surveillance, search and rescue, and land protection monitoring.

Drone detection is reportedly enhanced by thermal and zoom cameras, with AI-assisted tracking and a laser rangefinder to pinpoint exact locations of suspects and activity, for example in bush or across rooftops. The Unit can also provide a visible aerial presence, including loudspeaker messaging and night-spotlighting.

“Air support is a force multiplier, widening what officers can see and shortening the time to a confident, safe decision. The new unit has already completed over 12 500 drone flights, with encouraging early crime-fighting successes and arrests,” said Smith

According to the City, the aerial surveillance has already led to intelligence-led arrests in Delft, Somerset West and Strand, a drug arrest in Tafelsig, tracking and arrest of a wanted suspect on the run in Elsies River, traffic and highway incident support and support at beaches for liquor confiscations and enforcement.

At the same time, the City’s bodycam deployment will soon reach 3 000 cameras in the field, while 530 enforcement vehicles have In-Vehicle Cameras (IVCs) with Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) functionality and printers for warrants and summons.

“The various safety tech solutions we’ve introduced help create a real-time operational picture to improve situational awareness and inform decision-making. We are now at a point where officers can stream live feeds to our operations centre from their mobile cameras, augmented by drone, ANPR and CCTV footage,” said Smith