SANParks to bolster crime-fighting efforts at Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park manager Megan Taplin said because crime trends are always shifting, SANParks is enhancing its efforts and adapting to the new trends.
CAPE TOWN -The South African National Parks (SANParks) is set to put more boots on the ground in Table Mountain National Park following a spike in crime on the mountain range during the summer months earlier this year.
While crime has decreased on the mountain recently – the government agency says it will be providing extra rangers to the sea, air and mountain unit to curb crime and threats to park users.
Table Mountain National Park manager Megan Taplin said because crime trends are always shifting, SANParks is enhancing its efforts and adapting to the new trends.
"We are currently busy recruiting additional field rangers as well as special operations team members for our seam unit in order to ensure that we can effectively meet all the challenges in both the terrestrial areas of the park as well as the marine areas," said Taplin.
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The chairperson of Friends of Table Mountain, Andy Davies, welcomed the announcement and said they've been asking for more rangers on the mountain for years.
"Visible policing is critical for discouraging crime on Table Mountain. We also believe rangers should be performing other important functions like trail maintenance, alien vegetation removal and visitor assistance," said Davies.
Davies said they would like to see a comprehensive needs analysis being done for resources in the park.