Cape Town observed graduation parade of new Metro Police Officers on Sept 09, 2025. The ceremony welcomed over 700 new city police officers who will begin their deployment across the city in the coming weeks.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis joined the new Metro Police officers at their graduation parade with Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith.
They observed the new deployment which included dedicated neighbourhood policing for every ward. The new deployment by the City of Cape Town is the largest investment in new boots on the ground in over a decade.
Also, it will include neighbourhood policing for every ward, which is a dedicated unit for the N/2 Airport precinct, and more protection escorts for frontline service delivery teams in crime hotspots.
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Considering this, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that as the city is making a major investment in policing resources, they are sending a clear message to the partners in SAPS and national government. They are here to help and make the Cape Town safer.
These new officers are set to make a big impact in every ward, along the N2 and in communities who are protecting the frontline staff. The city police already have the powers to search, arrest and prevent crime. This time it has come for more policing powers, specifically to investigate the crime and build dockets.
They are ensuring to take 400 guns off the streets every year, to lead the actual convictions and removal of criminals from the streets of long-suffering communities.
However, the broken criminal justice system secures convictions in just 5% of these cases. They know that this can be dramatically improved once to get more policing powers for the officers.
Mayor Lewis further stated that they are encouraged by Acting National Police Minister Firoz Cachalia’s openness to the idea of more policing powers for City police. Also, they met the Acting Minister in Cape Town to set out the case for the City and SAPS working hand-in-hand to gain more convictions, especially in the fight against gang, gun and drug crime.
Alderman JP Smith said that as far back as 2018, they have been working to find a way to deliver on this goal. The officers will respond to the complaints and will undertake the pre-planned operations across an entire Metro Police district.
They have a permanent presence in each word. The opportunity and funding never aligns. This investment is a declaration, it is a clear message to the criminals who have held the community’s hostage, and their time is running out.
Smith added that a line is being drawn in the sand between lawlessness and order, between fear and safety, between silence and accountability. The City of Cape Town is stepping up once more. Every day they will work to ensure that decent and good people can again own their communities and feel safe at home and on the street.