Extortion and other serious crimes have been identified as key targets for the police in the Western Cape over the festive season. This was revealed during the launch of the ‘Safer Festive Season Operations’, in Mitchells Plain on Thursday. Various police units, City of Cape Town law enforcement and emergency units were on display at the Rocklands Sports Complex as they demonstrated their capabilities to the crowd.

National police commissioner, General Fannie Masemola said the crimes they will be targeting include gender-based violence, by-law enforcement, road safety, extortion, illicit goods, aggravated robbery and cash heists. His Western Cape counterpart, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said that of these serious crimes, extortion would be a big focus, as well as gang violence, robbery, murder and drugs. “We have noticed that there is an increase in murder related to taxi violence. With the partnership we have with law enforcement we will ensure that people abide by the by-laws,” he said.

Patekile boasted about recent successes in combatting extortion rackets. “We are making inroads in terms of fighting extortion. A few hours ago, the police were engaged in a shooting with an extortionist near Century City on the N1. We followed them from Du Noon where they were collecting and we wanted to stop them in a quiet area where there were few people and it was was safe. They started to shoot at us and we had to defend ourselves. One of them is under guard at the moment,” he said.

An earlier shootout between the police and another extortionist in Du Noon township, in the northern surburbs of Cape Town, made news headlines recently. Asked whether there is an extortion ring operating in the area, Patekile told journalists that they are looking at it from all angles. “It could be that there is indeed an extortion ring operating in the area … All the people who have been arrested are not from the area,” Patekile said.

In August, the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape government and the national government signed an agreement on integrating resources to fight crime. The Western Cape MEC for police oversight and community safety, Anroux Marais said that since the signing of the memorandum in August, negotiations are proceeding swiftly.