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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
Deputy Police Commissioner Andre Pruis is co-ordinating a series of joint air-and-ground interception operational exercises. The idea is to test the state of preparedness of the security forces ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The first exercise was held in Cape Town and others will be staged in host cities around the country. Project 2010 asked him…  Would you describe Operation Green Point as a success and what was the biggest lesson your personnel drew from it? It was definitely a resounding success and it has solidified the co-operation between the security forces on joint exercises and implementing contingency plans in a co-ordinated manner. One of the major lessons drawn from the operation was the importance of an efficient command and control system. The importance of efficient and fast communication from the Joint Operational Centre to the various Venue Operational Centres, such as - in this instance - airports and observations posts, was highlighted as being essential. During Green Point, we are glad to say that the command and control system was in place and communication and co-ordination was conducted in a professional manner. During this specific exercise, aimed at securing the aviation sector, the cooperation between the fire services and the police at the airport when an aircraft was forced down also proved to be of vital importance and was well co-ordinated. Are you drawing on the experiences of other security forces at previous World Cup tournaments? The SAPS is drawing on the experience of a number of other security forces which have recently hosted major sporting events, such as Korea, Japan and Germany where a team of SAPS members attended the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2006 as observers. In Brazil, members attended the Pan American Games last year as well as the Rugby World Cup in France. We have also visited Britain especially to learn about hooliganism and planning tools for soccer events. Please bear in mind that South Africa has succesfully hosted and secured a number of major events, including sporting events, such as the Rugby World Cup 1995 and the Cricket World Cup 2003. We were also requested to assist with the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies last year and deployed a contingent of our experts, such as the Special Task Force, National Intervention Unit, explosives experts and explosives dogs with their handlers. Given that most World Cup tournaments have passed off peacefully, how real is the threat to South Africa in 2010? Assessments have indicated that currently there is no known major security threat - South Africa is not a terror target, but as many playing countries will be represented, we have various contingency plans in place to counter any threat or potential threat. Do you view hooliganism as a real concern? The SAPS has a specific plan in place for crowd management and is part of a co-operative committee with the British to counter hooliganism. However, hooliganism seems to be more pertinent to club matches than international matches and with the correct planning in place this should not pose a real concern. more interviews...
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