Businesses pay for extra Long Street security

Security at Cape Town's major party hub, Long Street, has been beefed up by law enforcement officers who have been rented from the city to patrol the popular strip where 60 000 revellers are expected to celebrate New Year.

With the festive season under way, thousands of patrons are already flocking to the landmark street's clubs, pubs and restaurants and they are being safeguarded by 10 law enforcement officers hired to keep things safe on the strip.

Long Street made headlines earlier this year for problems ranging from crimes including muggings and pickpocketing to more sinister activities such as drug dealing, theft from cars and extortion linked to bouncer rackets.

As part of its rent-a-cop programme the City of Cape Town allows individuals and companies to hire or sponsor law enforcement, metro and traffic officers.

Law enforcement officers deal with by-laws and have the power to make arrests, confiscate items, shut down illegal operations and issue warnings and fines.

Tasso Evangelinos, the Central City Improvement District (CCID) chief operating officer, told Weekend Argus the 10 law enforcement officers cost between R200 000 and R250 000 to rent from the city for four months.

The Long Street Association was paying for three months of their work and the CCID for the fourth.

"It's a big investment... It's a very necessary process. It reinforces that the Cape Town CBD is the safest in the country," Evangelinos said.

The 10 officers are working 10-hour shifts from 8pm to 6am from Wednesdays to Sundays.

"It's the busiest nights of the week. They'll walk the beat... and are dedicated to Long Street," Evangelinos said.

"They'll be briefed every night and equipped with the latest information so they stay updated."

These officers are different from metro police officers, who often conduct raids in crimeridden areas and who are responsible for crime prevention and implementing national laws.

Their work will be bolstered by police and CCID public safety officers.

They will be in contact with officers monitoring footage from CCTV cameras located along the street and will be tipped off if officers see anything amiss on the party scene.

Negotiations are under way for the project to be expanded to other parts of the city.

Randolf Jorberg, the owner of Beerhouse and the driving force behind the Long Street Association, a group of businesses working together to improve the strip, was delighted by the fortified security plan.

He said 12 businesses had pooled money to hire the law enforcement officers.

"We have to reduce crime because the levels are unacceptable," Jorberg said.

In the short term, the plan was to tackle crime head on, but in the long run it was for businesses to work together to make Long Street even better known as a tourist mecca.

"We're looking at more festivals... At how much employment we're bringing to society."

In June, Joe Kanyona, a doorman at Beerhouse, was murdered just outside the establishment.

The case against three men accused of helping plan Kanyona's murder is expected to resume in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court next month.

The murder was a wake-up call to business owners in Long Street.

"Obviously that helped us realise that something needed to change," Jorberg said.

A statement on the Long Street Association's website says: "Businesses paying for dedicated law enforcement, in a particular area, is a first in South Africa, which shows the commitment of these businesses ensuring Long Street remains the fun, party hub of Cape Town."

The association and CCID wanted to rent more than 10 officers from the city, but budgetary constraints had prevented them from doing so.

Evangelinos said it was "absolutely necessary" to bolster security, especially as between 20 000 and 40 000 people gathered along Long Street on certain nights during the festive season.

CCID safety and security manager Muneeb Hendricks said since the 10 officers had been working, fewer crimes were being committed.

"We are already seeing a substantial drop in the number of crimes being reported. Besides the fact that the greater visible policing helps to deter crime from occurring in the first place, these officers also have the power to issue fines for bylaw infringements and to arrest perpetrators of crime."

To further boost security in Long Street, specifically over the festive season, the CCID deployed 11 extra public safety officers at night. They started working on Thursday and they would remain on duty until mid-March.

This week police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said large contingents of officers, as well as students from various training academies, would be deployed at tourist attractions and popular holiday venues around the province throughout the festive season.

"Special focus will be given to factors which are usually generate crime such as alcohol abuse and the illegal liquor trade.

"Establishments catering for the night life will also be closely monitored during our interventions to ensure that they adhere to the conditions of their licenses," he said.

Source: Weekend Argus