Special courts will be on standby 24-hours a day to deal with climate change conference-related crimes. “We will have a 24-hour court system for COP17 related crimes. We want to deal with them the way we did during the Soccer World Cup,” says Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo. The Durban Magistrate’s Court will be used because of its proximity to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Conference Centre where Cop17 takes place. Naidoo says even if the crime takes place in Cape Town when delegates arrive, there will be people on standby there to deal with the case. During the Soccer World Cup last year, 54 special courts were set up around the country to speedily handle cases relating to the tournament. Naidoo says the aim of having certain courts on standby was to ensure that cases were finalised as quickly as possible.
“All we can say is that we are ready. There will be high police visibility in Durban during the conference.”
We are ready in terms of the number of police officers who will be deployed during the conference. “Our assessment has shown that we are ready in terms of the number of police officers who will be deployed during the conference,” says Naidoo, but refused to say how many police were being deployed.
“All we can say is that we are ready. There will be high police visibility in Durban during the conference,” added Naidoo.
Police will use bicycles, horses and some would patrol on foot, as part “of pledging our commitment to reducing gas emissions that cause climate change.”
The conference starts on Monday and finishes on December 9 and will be attended 15 000 delegates and more than 10 000 observers from more than 190 countries.
– By
