Visitors to Bay must be protected from criminals

Once the pride of Port Elizabeth, tourist and heritage attractions have in recent years become crime hotspots to be avoided at all costs. These attractions, including the Donkin Reserve, Fort Frederick and Campanile in the Central and CBD areas, have always been popular with locals and tourists alike, but tourists in particular have become easy targets for thugs.

In the latest incident, a Swiss couple were shoved down the stairs at the Donkin Reserve and robbed.

They had just left the Phoenix Hotel in Central on Tuesday before making their way to the Donkin Reserve when they passed two men sitting down.

The men then jumped on the couple, according to economic development, tourism and agriculture political head Marlon Daniels, resulting in them falling down the steps. The men grabbed the woman’s bag containing about R20,000 in foreign currency, bank cards, a cellphone and R1,000 in cash.

Her husband tried to fight off the attackers, resulting in his hand being cut with a knife.

The couple left the city on Wednesday, just two days after their arrival. The incident prompted swift action by Nelson Mandela Bay municipal officials.

Within 20 hours, safety and security acting executive director Shane Brown announced a new safety plan — 80 peace officers would be trained and equipped with radios, uniforms and batons to combat the surge in tourist attacks.

Brown said the guards had been pulled from other municipal buildings to protect tourists at the heritage and tourism sites.

The peace officers — split between Central and Summerstrand — will be on the ground within two months after undergoing six weeks of training, according to Brown.

“We are robbing Peter to pay Paul as it was necessary to act immediately,” he said during his presentation of the plan on Wednesday.

While we commend the city ’ s immediate action and appreciate the “robbing Peter to pay Paul” gap-stop pending the “special project” council approval, a more long-term and sustainable solution is needed to ensure our beautiful attractions can be enjoyed by all. After all, what we all stand to benefit from more tourists coming to the Bay, staying for longer — and spending their money here.