WATCH | Calls for a dedicated anti-kidnapping unit

CAPE TOWN - Western Cape authorities are calling for a dedicated unit to help tackle kidnappings.

Thursday the police ministry and SAPS provided an update on kidnapping investigations in the province.

WATCH: Kidnappings on the rise in SA

The Muslim Judicial Council and civil society discussed safety and security.

Cape Town Safety and Security MMC JP Smith said, "we have now watched these grown intensities to the point now where there isn't a week that goes by where there isn't kidnapping and that is quite worrying and the City didn't wait for the outcry from this meeting to start acting."

"SAPS answers to [the] national government but the province does have an oversight function."

"I wrote to [Cape Town] Premier Alan Winde a few weeks ago please can you engage SAPS to ask for the establishment of a proper task force not a statistical committee."

"The bottleneck in SAPS resources remains their problem we do want to help and we do have the means to help... we ask that SAPS urgently establish fully fledged anti-kidnapping and extortion task team."