A City of Cape Town Law Enforcement officer is in a stable condition after he was stabbed in the head after chasing down criminals.
The incident occurred on Beach Road in Woodstock when the officer and his colleagues were flagged down by a victim of a robbery. Spotting the suspects, the officers gave chase and managed to apprehend one of them beneath the Lower Church Street bridge on the MyCiTi bus route.
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However, the situation took a violent turn when residents from an illegal informal settlement nearby attacked the outnumbered officers. One of the officers was stabbed in the forehead during the altercation. Despite being outnumbered and injured, the officer managed to fight off attempts by the attackers to steal his firearm.
The injured officer was immediately transported to receive medical attention for the laceration on his forehead. Thankfully, he is currently in stable condition. This incident is just one in a series of recent attacks on law enforcement officers in the line of duty in the City of Cape Town.
According to Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, the spike in crime can be attributed to the presence of numerous informal settlements on Prasa land in the Woodstock area. These settlements have become a breeding ground for violence and gangsterism, posing a threat to both residents and commuters.
Rob Marshall, the secretary of Uwatch Woodstock, emphasized the urgent need for intervention by the landowners to secure their assets and prevent them from being a source of criminal activity. He cited a recent murder in the area as evidence of the escalating crime rate.
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Residents often use the same roads where these incidents occur to access the Woodstock drop-off facility or commute to nearby businesses. The encroachment of informal settlements towards the N1 highway has resulted in a corresponding increase in crime. In a separate incident, a cyclist was assaulted at the Woodstock turn-off.
Marshall revealed that they have been calling on Prasa for years to address the issue. While Prasa has committed to demolishing one of the buildings hosting informal settlements by August 2023, no action has been taken thus far.
