Follow safety plan through in practice

The Nelson Mandela Bay Safety and Security Plan, announced on Monday, promised that this would be the “safest summer”. Specifically it expounded that high police visibility, numerous roadblocks, the full use of available resources and close co-operation between authorities such as the metro police, SAPS, firefighting services and disaster management would underpin its strategy. So far so good, but we must confess we have heard this before as similar blueprints are trotted out over key festive periods such as Christmas and Easter.

It is, we fear, a somewhat generic response to public concerns about safety and security.

We would be more reassured if we knew that attention was being given to recognised hotspots for traffic and bylaw infringements.

And we do know where they are because in November acting executive director of sports, recreation, arts and culture Kithi Ngesi said the city was battling to curb drinking along the beaches, particularly during the peak summer season.

The Herald reported then that the municipality was rethinking its total ban on the consumption of alcohol on beaches as it was concerned it simply would not be able to enforce it.

Ngesi’s comments, however, should not be read as an admission that the city had given up.

The concomitant dangers to hordes of boozy beachgoers include threats such as an increased number of road accidents, more crime and litter. All the more reason, therefore, to actively police hotspots such as the stretch of Marine Drive near Humewood Golf Club and Wells Estate, over New Year, in particular.

We all want our city to live up to its promise of delivering the safest summer.

The phrase, “the full use of available resources”, is telling and we also hope that no one from the relevant authorities has put in unnecessary applications for leave over this period. This is their busiest time of year.

On paper the Nelson Mandela Bay’s Safety and Security Plan sounds good.

Let us now follow through in practice.