CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape is repeating its call for the formation of an integrated kidnappings and extortion task team.
The province has seen over thirty kidnappings in the last seven months alone, but kidnapping cases are currently handled by the national police service.
READ: Kidnappings in SA | Cape Town wants to set up task team to fight scourge
Western Cape MEC for police oversight and community safety Reagan Allen says that the province has no choice but to start implementing preventative measures.
"With regards to a number of task teams if we look at the anti-gang units, if we look at task teams that are specific to crime, what we have now advocated for with the City of Cape Town is to have an intergovernmental task team set up where the resources from the City of Cape Town side," he said.
"Our role in that particular committee and the South African Police Service ultimately working together. There is intelligence. There are resources from different spheres of government that can be used and if it is used effectively in a cooperative way in working together to stem the tide, we would in our view see a further reduction here in the Western Cape.
"We would never want to become the kidnapping hotspot like Gauteng in the last quarter. So it is a proactive approach to work with all entities in terms of kidnapping. In terms of our activities to stem the tide against gang violence etc."