From its first intake of recruits in July 2001, the then City Police has evolved into the Metropolitan Police Department making on average more than 4 000 arrests each year, and boasting numerous specialised units.
The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police Department held a parade at the Green Point Athletics Track, including officers from the first intake of recruits who remain in service.
The parade was the first in a series of commemorative events set to take place over the next 12 months.
‘It is a privilege to be with you today to celebrate this milestone. Twenty years of service and dedication to the people of Cape Town; 20 years of helping to make communities feel safer. Today we express our sincere gratitude to you and to those officers who have given their lives in service and duty. I salute every member, and I know I speak for every law abiding Capetonian when I say thank you for your dedication and service.
In Cape Town we aim to set the standard for service excellence, professionalism and the ethic of public service. But we cannot reach the heights we dream of if we do not work together. My Mayoral Committee team and I will wake up every day with the sole purpose of uplifting our residents to create meaningfully faster economic growth, to encourage investment and job creation and to address crime – this is our task for the next five years and beyond. As Metro Police in the City of Cape Town, you are a crucial part of that mission of building a city that inspires hope and optimism,’ said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
The City’s Executive Committee and full Council endorsed the proposed establishment of a Municipal Police Service in May 2001.
‘We have come a long way since those early days, and the Metro Police Department is so deserving of this honour where we can pause for a moment and reflect on their achievements. Apart from their impressive arrest rates, they have expanded beyond their initial inception as the City Police into a team that the residents of Cape Town can be proud of. The specialised units demonstrate the dedication of Metro Police to focus on the task at hand and find solutions, both short and long term.
‘As Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, I have the utmost respect for the officers who serve under Metro Police. Many of them have been in the department since the first intake in 2001. Wayne Le Roux, the current Chief has been at the helm for 10 years. I regularly go out with the staff on operational patrols and I am always taken aback by their knowledge and passion for serving the communities they work in.
‘To the Safety and Security Directorate at large, I salute you. But today, to the Metro Police Department, congratulations on your 20 years serving this City. Your hard work lives on in the communities you serve. Thanks for caring so much about our safety and stepping out every day to serve and protect,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Historical Overview
The first intake of recruits started on 1 July 2001.
These recruits went on patrol in December 2001, and a few months later, in March 2002, the first specialised units (Bicycle and Equestrian) were introduced.
CCTV surveillance formed part and parcel of the City Police Service from the early days, under the watchful eye of the Strategic Surveillance Unit.
In years to follow, more specialised units would be introduced including:
- the Special Operations Unit (2003) to conduct tactical operations with SAPS in crime hotspots,
- the Safer Schools Programme (2003) to protect learners in gang and crime hotspots, which morphed into the School Resource Officers programme in 2013
- the Neighbourhood Safety Officer (NSO) programme in 2007 to attend to specific priorities in identified wards
- the K9 Unit in 2009
Four years after its establishment, in 2005, the City Police was renamed the Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department, and a year later, officers traded their black and white uniform for the now established khaki and blue uniforms.
As part of preparations for the Fifa 2010 World Cup, the Safety and Security Training Academy was enhanced, and under the leadership of the Metropolitan Police Department, has grown into a distinguished, accredited training institution for all City enforcement agencies.
Today, Metro Police has deployment stations throughout the metropole. Area policing is the first line of defense, supported by the Specialised Tactical Response, Camera Response and Service Animal Units, as well as the Gang and Drugs Task Team.
These units are ably supported by their colleagues in the Radio Control Room, Community Service Centres, the Training Academy, Firearms Management team, Civilian and Internal Affairs, Information Management and administrative support services.
Over the past two decades, we have experienced success, failures, highs and lows, celebrations and adversity; but the one thing we never accepted was defeat. Through faith, mutual trust, and commitment to the cause, we can stand here today, to commemorate this milestone. The employees of this department are the backbone of our operations and our success. So my colleagues, by celebrating this 20th anniversary, we are celebrating the success of our employees, their families and loved ones who have made significant sacrifices. I congratulate you all,’ said Metro Police Chief, Wayne Le Roux.
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