‘Use your intelligence’: Cameron urges SAPS to act on Cape Town taxi violence - IOL
Ian Cameron says SAPS must turn intelligence into action to stop taxi violence and protect Cape Town commuters.
Police must step up intelligence operations to prevent further taxi-related shootings in Cape Town, with Parliament’s police committee chairperson Ian Cameron warning that innocent commuters are paying the price for the continuing violence.
Cameron has called for an urgent intelligence-led strategy to tackle the bloodshed, questioning whether information gathered on the ground is reaching the right people and being used to prevent attacks, make arrests and protect communities that depend on public transport.
Cameron said SAPS had capable people in leadership positions who could implement a stronger intelligence approach, but questioned whether information gathered at ground level was reaching the right people and being turned into effective operations.
“The challenge we have, I’m not convinced that the intelligence that’s meant to be gathered on ground level is successfully gathered and operationalised,” he told IOL.
He said intelligence needed to be verified and channelled to the people responsible for carrying out raids, arrests and proactive operations.
Cameron also suggested that police consider using technology to strengthen their intelligence capabilities without requiring a major increase in personnel.
He said SAPS, particularly its Crime Intelligence Unit, had a responsibility to gather and analyse information to support investigations, prevent further violence and secure successful prosecutions.
“It is unacceptable that people are suffering while the police are mainly reactive to these situations. The Provincial Commissioner must develop and urgently implement intelligence-led strategies to quell the violence,” he said.
Cameron called on stakeholders in the taxi industry to exercise restraint, warning that the violence threatened lives, livelihoods, reliable public transport and Cape Town’s economic wellbeing.
“The violence is not desirable to the industry, the people who depend on taxis as a reliable mode of transport, or the economic fortunes of the city. The unfortunate thing is that ordinary people are caught in the middle of violence that could result in loss of life,” he said.
He said the consequences extended beyond those directly involved in the conflict, including the fatal shooting of two taxi owners in Epping.
Disruptions to taxi services affect commuters who rely on the transport system to reach work and essential services, placing further strain on vulnerable households.
Cameron said proactive, intelligence-led policing and accountability were essential to curbing the violence, protecting innocent lives and restoring stability for commuters and communities across Cape Town.
