Cape Town - The Sable Road bridge that links Century City to the nearby station and MyCiTi bus stop has been assigned two permanent security officers after criminals targeted commuters and shoppers.
Councillor Helen Jacobs from nearby Factreton announced the launch of the initiative courtesy of the Century City Property Owners Association (CCPOA), which secured funding for the project to deploy two officers at the bridge.
“For the past two years we have been working hard to assist and remove groups of young children who had taken to congregating on the bridge between Century City and the train station.
“At first, these children began sitting there to beg, but with time they began harassing and assaulting passers-by.
“Initially, we were able to remove and assist the first group of 6- to 7-year-old children, working together with the social workers and their families. However, once we had achieved that, a group of older kids took camp at the bridge. The older kids were more aggressive, compromising the safety of people moving about in the area, so we came together again to figure out a way we could respond.”
Jacobs said the community’s local leaders, safety structures such as the CPF, Prasa and Neighbourhood Watch Teams (NHW) as well as the Department of Social Development (DSD) and CCPOA had been involved in initiating the security measure that would see residents, commuters and the general public feeling safer when moving about in the area.
“The CCPOA through businesses and other stakeholders was able to rally funds to station two guards at the bridge permanently. The guards will be working in conjunction with NHW patrollers and law enforcement, who have been supporting us by patrolling the area since the beginning. This will make a big difference, and I’m grateful to all the role-players who came on board to support us.”
Ward 15 subcouncil chairperson Angus Mckenzie has welcomed the initiative, saying that commuters, workers and shoppers can look forward to a safer passage of travel when using the bridge.
He said: “The Sable Road bridge over the last few months has become a problem with begging children and the crimes, assault and abuse associated with these actions. I applaud the work done by the councillor and the partnering spirit of the CCPOA.”