AN effective partnership between visitor safety rangers and the South African Police Service has seen a year-on-year decline in crime in Cape Town’s Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

In the latest incident on April 4, TMNP rangers arrested and handed over a suspect to the SAPS an hour after a couple were mugged on Lion’s Head. With the help of the park’s dog unit, rangers caught the man in possession of the stolen goods, but a second suspect managed to escape.
 
TMNP said the past festive season had seen the lowest number of incidents since the park had adopted a visitor safety strategy five years ago. It credited its continually improving partnership with the police and improved efficiencies, such as: 
* The use of a SANParks helicopter in February this year. Information gathered included escape routes, vulnerable spots, hideouts and vantage points that could be used by criminals.  The information enabled effective deployment and patrol strategies.
 * The TMNP Dog Unit: five highly trained dogs and handlers conduct ongoing patrols and have proved to be a deterrent to crime.
 * The TMNP Kloofnek command and control centre is the dispatch and deployment point for all TMNP-led crime-combating operations and liaises with the Cape Town Central police station to dovetail operations. 
 * A 52-member visitor safety ranger team performs uniformed policing and covert operations.  The team works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
 * The vehicle fleet used by the team has been increased to include vehicles that are more suitable for the terrain and the work done.
 * Access management at Tafelberg and Signal Hill roads effectively reduced crime in these areas. 
 * A better equipped 24-hour visitor information centre in the parking area at the bottom of Tafelberg Road. 
 * Setting up a TMNP helpline and the ongoing training of the staff, which man the call centre.  Visitors are able to call the park’s helpline at 086 110 6417, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
 * A ‘Safe Hiking’ brochure is given to tourists visiting the TMNP and Cape Town Tourism information centres.
* Volunteers who give their time and share their expertise with TMNP management to complement observation and communication operations.