SANParks hopes use of tech & law enforcement officers will curb crime in TMNP

CAPE TOWN - SANParks hopes that using technology, along with law enforcement officers, will provide the edge it needs to curb crime in Table Mountain National Park.

With summer on its way, ongoing robberies in the park continue to raise security concerns.

Five days ago, a woman was assaulted and robbed in the park while hiking on the Pipe Track near Camps Bay.

ALSO READ: SANParks: Increased boots on the ground approach alone won't ensure less crime in TMNP

On Tuesday, SANParks briefed Parliament's portfolio committee on the environment, forestry and fisheries about challenges in the park.

SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello said that a combination of police officers and technology would be used to curb crime on the mountain range in the coming months.

"It's a combination of technology and integration into other law enforcement agencies, SAPS as well as the city's law enforcement agency."

Sello said SANParks would provide various types of surveillance technology, including cameras and drones, to assist the officers.

"Surveillance then enables alerting the fusion center in a quicker space of time than we have been able to, and then the fusion center coordinates a physical response to a threat."

Sello said that similar measures were already showing tangible results in curbing crime in the Kruger National Park.