Partnerships are the key when it comes to fighting crime. This was one of the main messages at the annual Sea Point City Improvement District (CIID) Awards on Wednesday October 4.
The annual awards ceremony recognises the work of CID members, City of Cape Town law enforcement officials as well as South African Police Service (SAPS) members throughout the year.
Heather Tager, chief operating officer of the Sea Point CID, said the initiative was about appreciating the hard work of all law enforcement officials.
“We decided to start these awards three years ago. At first it was just for our members. But then it became about recognising SAPS and Law enforcement.”
Jacques Weber, head of the Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) project at the CID, spoke about the success of the programme.
“There are now 71 cameras in the Sea Point area,” said Mr Weber.
He added that the Sea Point CID worked with other CIDs around the city that had the LPR system and shared information with them.
“We are part of 51 networks in all areas of Cape Town. We have also been approached to assist other areas with the LPR system,” he said.
Mr Weber, the former Ward 54 councillor, added that the LPR system had led to several key arrests in the last year and thanked all the CID members for their hard work.
Robbie Roberts, Director of Law Enforcement at the City of Cape Town, commended the CID, law enforcement and SAPS members for their work throughout the year.
“I like to call it the Sea Point partnership,” he said.
He added that the most important thing about fighting crime was building effective partnerships. He said that it was also about “being held accountable to the public”. Mr Roberts also said he had discussed the possibility of an events committee within Law Enforcement with Ms Tager.
“It is something that we can tackle,” he said.
Colonel Christo Engelbrecht, who was representing the Sea Point Police station at the awards, thanked all the CID members for their work.
He added that the LPR system had been key in the last year, leading to several arrests.
He thanked the controllers of the project, saying that they played a vital role in the success of the programme.
Chairperson of the Sea Point CID, Christo Yiacoumis, said at the end of the day, it was all about making a difference.
