Cape Town - Officers from the City of Cape Town's safety and security directorate will have the ability to electronically fast-track and issue notices for traffic and by-law contraventions via an app from a gadget held in their palm of their hands.
Mayoral (Mayco) committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the mobile app allows for improved efficiency related to the issuing of contravention and compliance notice.
“What makes this application unique, is that notices and fines are being issued with a City device on a City mobile application. The digital application allows officers to use the latest technology to be able to improve safety on the roads and in the communities,” said Smith.
“This demonstrates the City’s ability to develop advanced mobile applications, which is linked to the City’s emergency, policing incident command system. It’s also about working smarter as officers save time by not having to issue a written notice as the manual notice book is replaced by this device.”
“The application does not only have scanning capabilities, allowing vehicle license disc and driver’s license scanning, but has built-in GPS technology that allows for the correct allocation of notices to magisterial areas.”
“The built-in camera will allow the officer to record digital evidence related to the contravention resulting in fewer disputes at court. Additionally, the technology will have appropriate decryption of information to protect public information.”
Smith said the directorate currently has more than 100 devices in operation that have access to the application and it is envisaged that the City will roll out 1356 more devices subject to budgetary provisions.
This development comes in the wake of an announcement two weeks ago that the City was developing an app for neighbourhood watches (NW) for community safety.
“Input from NWs is valuable for the development of the app and once it is operational, we envision that this digital tool will increase efficiency, access to services and promote communication between NWs and the City,” said Smith.
Cape Argus