City to Tackle Beach Crime | Western Cape Government

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City to Tackle Beach Crime

16 October 2007
A recent increase in beach muggings, poaching activities and illegal off-road driving has prompted the City of Cape Town to appoint a task team to tackle crime on its beaches.

"As part of a world famous destination, Cape Town's 300 km coastline is one of its greatest economic and social assets," says Cllr Brian Watkyns, chairperson of the Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee (PEPCO).

"Regrettably, illegal activities along the coastline are increasing, while visible policing is diminishing due to a lack of capacity among law enforcement agencies", says Cllr JP Smith, Chairperson of the Safety & Security Portfolio Committee.

"A review of the City's Integrated Metropolitan Environmental Policy recommends tougher environmental law enforcement and more visible policing," says Smith.

PEPCO and the Safety and Security Portfolio Committee together with SA Police Services, Marine and Coastal Management and the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) will appoint a joint task team to formulate a comprehensive crime prevention strategy.

"The team will be asked to look at the increasing number of people being mugged at Sunrise Beach and isolated attacks at Long Beach in Kommetjie, Soetwater Resort, Monwabisi beach and the Sea Point Promenade. Car break-ins at city beaches are also becoming commonplace", Cllr Smith said.

"The City should also play a bigger role in helping national authorities combat the plundering of marine resources as most poachers access the sea from City-managed beaches, resorts, access points, parking areas and slipways.

"Despite a national ban on recreational vehicles in the coastal zone, beach driving occurs almost daily between Sunrise Beach and Macassar Dunes and, albeit less frequently, between Table View and Silwerstroomstrand," says Cllr Watkyns.

Problems of vandalism, graffiti, informal car guarding and prostitution have also been experienced in the vicinity of the City's coastal ablution facilities.

Other regular contraventions of coastline legislation include illegal boat launching and restrictions of public coastal access.

Of the 11 boat-launching sites administered by the City, only two are managed by boat clubs, while the remaining nine have no access control. The City and the TMNP are also assessing the four slipways that provide direct access to the Marine Protected Area.

"Increasingly, private property owners are restricting public right of way to beaches by fencing off historical access points and extending gardens beyond the property boundary. The coast is a national asset and the rights of public access need to be safeguarded," says Cllr Watkyns.

Minor offences include littering and illegal dumping along coastal routes, unleashed dogs on beaches, and the use of sand-yachts on walking and recreation beaches.

"The recent decision to unbundle the Metro Police into their historically separate portfolios of Traffic, Law Enforcement and Metro Police will ensure that a dedicated beach enforcement presence is once again manifest on city beaches," says Cllr Smith.

Issued by:
Communication
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 2201

Media Queries:
Cllr Brian Watkyns
Tel: 021 531 3437
Cell: 083 444 4807
Cllr J.P. Smith
Tel: 021 487 2001
Cell: 083 675 3780

Media Enquiries: