SAPS agrees to work with City on kidnapping task force

The City said the police have agreed to form an inter-governmental kidnapping and extortion task force in Cape Town.

Sep 30, 2022 - 19:39
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SAPS agrees to work with City on kidnapping task force

The South African Police Service (SAPS) agreed to partner with the specialised law enforcement units in the City of Cape Town to form an inter-governmental kidnapping and extortion task force.

SAPS AND CITY TO WORK ON KIDNAPPING TASK FORCE

City of Cape Town MayCo Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said municipal law enforcement officers are ready to play “an active and operational role in supporting the SAPS” to stop kidnappings and extortion attempts and ensure that convictions follow arrests.

“There have been at least two more incidents of kidnapping in Cape Town since our request – one resulting in the death of an eight-year-old boy from Nyanga, and the other the disappearance of a woman who was taken in broad daylight just yesterday, in full view of security cameras,” said Smith.

“The incidents this week remind us that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and that concrete and effective action is needed immediately.”

READ MORE: WATCH: Eastern European woman kidnapped in Cape Town

Earlier this month, Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, said there have been 32 kidnapping cases (at the time) investigated in the Western Cape between 1 March and September 2022.

On the same day, Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, described the crime as a crisis in the city and called for the national police management to immediately establish a multi-disciplinary operational task team focused on kidnapping and extortion activities in the city.

READ MORE: ‘Kidnapping crisis’: 32 cases since March – Cape Town calls for dedicated task team

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