The Government's Promise
The Government has assured the millions of fans who will be coming to watch the 2010 World Cup that they will be safe in South Africa.
• South Africa will be working closely with international agencies to gather intelligence
• There will be a focus on border security at ports of entry – including South Africa’s land, sea and air borders
• Route security, specifically those leading from airports into the cities, will be a priority
• Police are to divide the host cities into sections, with teams patrolling sections and focusing on FIFA headquarters, hotels, other accommodation establishments, the stadiums, fan parks, restaurants and tourist venues
• State-of-the-art information and communication military technology will be used as well as a fleet of nearly 40 helicopters
• A dedicated force of 41 000 officers will be deployed.
Some R665-million will be spent on procuring special equipment, including crowd-control equipment, crime scene trainers, unmanned aircraft, helicopters, 10 water cannons, 100 BMWs for highway patrol and up-to-date body armour. About 300 mobile cameras will also be used. There will be four mobile command centres at a cost of around R6 million each. These centres will feature high-tech monitoring equipment, which will be able to receive live footage from the airplanes and other cameras. These investments will continue to assist the police in their crime-fighting initiatives long after the World Cup is over.
South Africa will have dedicated 2010 police stations within close proximity to each of the stadiums, as well as dedicated crime-investigation teams and special courts to investigate and deal with all event-related crimes 24/7.South Africa will have dedicated 2010 police stations within close proximity to each of the stadiums, as well as dedicated crime-investigation teams and special courts to investigate and deal with all event-related crimes 24/7.