City launches new Energy Safety Team to protect electricity infrastructure
The City of Cape Town has established a new Energy Safety Team to assist law enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in protecting the metro’s vital electricity infrastructure. As part of its commitment, the City has set aside an additional budget for this fiscal year to increase law enforcement deployment, strengthen security at key locations and increase... Read more → The post City launches new Energy Safety Team to protect electricity infrastructure appeared first on CapeTown ETC.
The City of Cape Town has established a new Energy Safety Team to assist law enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in protecting the metro’s vital electricity infrastructure.
As part of its commitment, the City has set aside an additional budget for this fiscal year to increase law enforcement deployment, strengthen security at key locations and increase the surveillance of critical electricity infrastructure.
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The City’s mayoral committee member for energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen, and mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, and other key role players officially launched the new Energy Safety team in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain.
By establishing the Energy Safety Team, the City intends to address the mounting challenges surrounding the protection of its vital electricity infrastructure. A troubling increase in vandalism, theft and unauthorised connections has occurred in recent months, along with a rise in nighttime incidents that put a significant strain on the City’s energy teams and result in prolonged power outages that negatively impact local communities.
The Energy Safety Team strives to mitigate such disruptions and ensure that residents are not left in the dark for extended periods of time by addressing these issues head-on.
‘In the current financial year, we’ve also set aside an additional budget in our fight against vandalism and theft of energy infrastructure,’ said van Reenen.
She continued, ‘The launch of the City’s new Energy Safety team is a testament to our commitment to improving service delivery in communities and will assist in reducing the safety risks of officials while on duty. The Energy Safety Team’s operating regime will further consist of patrolling red zones in the metro. These are areas that we have identified as hotspots for electricity infrastructure crimes.’
She explained that the City’s electricity department monitors the data monthly and uses that information to direct its resources towards reducing these incidents. It will also provide administrative and technical support to the newly appointed officers so that they can carry out their duties effectively.
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‘While our committed team of officials across all levels in our City’s Energy Directorate continue to work tirelessly on prevention and mitigation solutions in partnership with the Safety and Security Directorate, we will not succeed without active community participation,’ said Councillor van Reenen. ‘We need residents to play their part by reporting illegal activity near infrastructure, including streetlights, to the City and the South African Police Service (SAPS). We need residents to engage with their neighbourhood watch groups, the City’s law enforcement officers, their ward councillors and the SAPS.’
‘The City thanks the community and all key role players for their support. Our teams are ready for the task ahead of them. We look forward to seeing the results, especially in the hotspot regions,’ she added.
‘The Energy Unit will be integrated with other teams, such as the Metal Theft Unit, to ensure critical energy infrastructure is protected. The Energy Unit joins the City’s highly trained law enforcement officers in their efforts to protect our residents and officials,’ said Alderman JP Smith.
- SMS: 31220
- Call: 0800 1100 77
- Email: power@capetown.gov.za
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook
The post City launches new Energy Safety Team to protect electricity infrastructure appeared first on CapeTown ETC.
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