{"id":640749,"date":"2022-11-04T08:51:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T06:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=640749"},"modified":"2022-11-04T08:51:48","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T06:51:48","slug":"cape-town-launches-new-24-7-highway-patrol-unit-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/640749\/cape-town-launches-new-24-7-highway-patrol-unit-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Town launches new 24\/7 highway patrol unit – what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cape town launched a new tech-led highway patrol unit on Thursday (3 November) that will be tasked with patrolling all of Cape Town\u2019s main arterial routes on a 24-hour basis, conducting enforcement and assisting motorists who might find themselves in the emergency lane.<\/span><\/p>\n

The highway patrol unit will conduct visible patrols, enforce traffic laws, and respond to incidents detected through the Freeway Management System cameras. Officers will also assist regular law enforcement and other specialist units, such as the Ghost Squad, as well as help residents who break down and manage traffic when necessary.<\/p>\n

Vehicles assigned to the new unit will be fitted with dash cams and Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, and the staff will receive body cams.<\/p>\n

The ANPR dash cam system will assist officers by automatically tracking motorists with outstanding warrants, identifying duplicate or cloned licence plates, and alerting them to stolen vehicles or vehicles that have been identified as having been involved in criminal acts \u2013 among other things.<\/p>\n

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Unit officers will also be static on the N2 at Hospital Bend and Mew Way during peak hours to respond to any incidents affecting traffic flow or public safety.<\/p>\n

“This Highway Patrol Unit is our latest investment in public safety. We hope that this helps road users feel safer on our main highways. We’ll keep investing like this until every resident feels safer in Cape Town. This unit is the first 24-hour Traffic Service operation in Cape Town, and the inclusion of such technology highlights our focus on innovation in crime fighting to make our Officers more effective in their work.<\/p>\n

“The activation of this unit is well-timed as we prepare for the festive season, which requires all hands on deck to ensure a safe and happy time for our residents and visitors alike,” said Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.<\/p>\n

The highway patrol unit currently consists of 25 new traffic officers, four new senior inspectors, one principal inspector and two administrative staff members, with plans to double this capacity in the next financial year.<\/p>\n

“This unit was conceptualised several years ago, but the pandemic delayed the launch. I’m very happy to see the idea finally come to life for the benefit of road users and safer commuting.\u00a0 It will also be a welcome boost to our existing efforts to mitigate the risks posed by criminals on our highways,” said Hill-Lewis.<\/p>\n

“A dedicated highway patrol unit is a best-case practice used in leading policing agencies worldwide. As Cape Town continues to model its future policing functions in line with international standards, this unit is a welcome addition to the existing enforcement services.<\/p>\n

“Our Metro Police Department has been doing sporadic patrols, mainly on the N2 and R300, for several years amid increased attacks. This highway patrol unit will expand our footprint to other routes, including the N7, which has also developed a reputation,” added the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.<\/p>\n

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Read: Government clears up what\u2019s happening with e-tolls \u2013 and you\u2019re not going to like it<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cape town launched a new tech-led highway patrol unit on Thursday (3 November) that will be tasked with patrolling all of Cape Town\u2019s main arterial routes on a 24-hour basis, conducting enforcement and assisting motorists who might find themselves in the emergency lane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":640769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-640749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-headline"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640749"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":640785,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640749\/revisions\/640785"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}