The South African Police Services (SAPS) has dismissed 2010 security concerns, saying the Soccer World Cup will be a success.
With less than five months to go before the start of the major soccer tournament in June, police minister Nathi Mthethwa has emphasised the readiness of the SAPS for the event.
The police will spend R640 million securing the major soccer tournament by deploying about 41 000 police officers and new equipment, and will spend a further R665 million on ICT.
The acquisitions will include an unspecified number of unmanned aerial systems, or robotic planes, 100 BMWs for highway patrols, about 300 mobile cameras that can be fitted to vehicles, crowd-control equipment and four mobile command centres, at a cost of around R6 million each. The centres will be used to receive and monitor live footage from the airplanes and other cameras.
“The South African government has invested huge resources, both in human resources and state-of-the-art technology to complement one another... These investments are not only meant for the event, but will continue to assist the police in their crime-fighting initiatives long after the Soccer World Cup is over,” says Mthethwa.
medical services.
Mthethwa noted that the SAPS is using a security model pioneered during the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, which has since been adopted by the United Nations as a model for major events. He adds that SA had also contributed to the security plan for the 2007 Cricket World Cup and no incidents or security breaches were reported then.
“Despite this experience and proven track record, the government, together with our people, did not rest on its laurels; we wanted to improve and raise the bar further on our record of hosting mega events,” says Mthethwa.
The SAPS will also work closely with other international security agencies on the gathering and analysing of intelligence information. Automated crime analysis solutions have been implemented along with military ICT solutions to improve response times.
The SAPS has also finalised a Southern African Development Community security plan, and improved border security solutions and sea and air security strategies are in place, says Mthethwa.
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