Busy start to the year for City’s School Resource Officers
30 January 2023
The SROs are one of numerous specialised units within the City’s Law Enforcement Department – 36 officers are deployed at numerous schools and surrounds, identified by the Western Cape Education Department.
During this time, officers also responded to numerous incidents, both on and off school grounds, including:
- Intervening when a learner brought a knife onto the school premises in retaliation for being thrown against the head with a stone
- Arranging an ambulance for a learner who had a seizure at school
- Controlling traffic during an impromptu convoy sparked by matric result celebrations at a school in Langa
- Reacting to a fight between rival gangs that saw two learners injured and requiring medical attention, and stabilising the situation
- Assisting a learner in recovering a stolen cellphone
- Assisting a pedestrian who was knocked down along Jakes Gerwel Drive
- Assisting a stranded motorist along the R300
- Conducting patrols along with reinforcements from Law Enforcement and Metro Police to ensure safe passage for learners following a shooting incident in the Lavender Hill area
- Recovering a stolen vehicle
‘Our School Resource Officers are a useful tool for schools but also communities, as they widen their net. While they were initially deployed specifically at schools, over time, their patrols and interventions have also extended to include incidents or issues in the surrounding communities. Sadly, in many parts of our city, learners face daily threats and dangers, and that is why this unit was established in the first place. It is critical that our schools are able to focus on their primary purpose, and our officers try to ease the load where they can, whether inside the school grounds, or outside,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
During general enforcement efforts over the past week, the City’s enforcement agencies made 292 arrests for various transgressions, and issued 61 917 fines.
Cape Town Traffic Service made 57 arrests – 46 for driving under the influence, one for reckless and negligent driving and 10 arrests on a range of charges including possession of a stolen vehicle, false documentation and assaulting an officer. Officers also recorded 53 764 offences, impounded 178 public transport vehicles and executed 1 370 warrants of arrest.
Their Law Enforcement counterparts made 199 arrests and issued 4 151 fines, while Metro Police officers made 36 arrests and issued 4 002 fines.
The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 2 050 incidents over a 48-hour period between Friday, 27 January and Sunday, 29 January. Overall, calls for medical assistance accounted for 38% of incidents, including 138 cases of assault. Call-takers also logged 39 incidents of domestic violence, 44 motor vehicle accidents and 13 pedestrian vehicle accidents.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
