Cape Town - Police in the Western Cape has established a multi-disciplinary extortion priority committee to tackle gangs that affect the construction and business sectors.
This came to light after Aljama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks asked Police Minister Bheki Cele through parliamentary questions about interventions to prevent extortion from organised gangs on the Cape Flats which has led to delays in housing projects.
Hendricks also asked whether Cele has been informed that the extortion rackets were also targeting local spaza shop owners.
Cele said in his written response: “The management of SAPS in the Western Cape province has established a multi-disciplinary extortion priority committee, which comprises internal and external stakeholders.
“This committee addresses various manifestations of extortion in the province including, inter alia, extortion affecting the construction and business sectors, both formal and informal.”
Cele said informal businesses such as spaza shops were addressed through integrated interventions and operations between the SAPS and various stakeholders via the committee.
“Detailed information that is made public with regard to the SAPS operation deployment of human and material resources or with respect to any area of operational strategy and tactics may pose a threat to the safety and security of SAPS personnel as well as the operational strategy and further detail can, therefore, not be provided,” he said.
According to the minister, the focus of the extortion priority committee through its integrated task team included prevention initiatives such as awareness campaigns.
“It encourages reporting by means of an extortion hotline and focused investigations, prosecution capacity and guidance from the National Prosecuting Authority.”
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said they regarded extortion and kidnappings as organised crimes.
Addressing media on the crime situation in the province last September, Cele said there was a national team led by a general from Crime Intelligence to probe these crimes.
He said while there were problems, the team seemed to be doing good work.
“There has been a serious response in this province when it comes to this,” he said.
Cape Times