A team of 70 new metro police officers will patrol Cape Town’s beleaguered railway system from October. The officers‚ who are in training at the metro police training college in Observatory‚ were inspected on Wednesday by Western Cape premier Helen Zille and City of Cape Town MEC for transport Brett Herron. They will be part of a 100-strong team jointly funded by the provincial and municipal government, and the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa)‚ in a R48m year-long pilot project. “The number of people using trains in the Western Cape has dropped due to arson and vandalism and crime on our trains‚” Zille said. “I hope in 10 years’ time we will look back at this metro police rail unit as the turnaround point for our trains.” A man was killed and eight others injured when they were robbed then thrown from a train on Friday night near Eerste River station. Herron said the officers will be deployed on the central line from Cape Town to Khayelitsha‚ the city’s busiest‚ according to info...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.