My home town of Cape Town has a crime problem. A beautiful city, a tourist hotspot, and great place to watch a cricket game. But crime. Its everywhere. Nowhere more so than Table Mountain National Park. Incidents in the park peaked in 2023 with over 100 incidents of muggings, assaults, and vehicle break-ins. The problem got so severe that the City of Cape Town (not responsible for policing - this is a national power), was forced to deploy 80 patrollers to monitor key hotspots between the famed Table Mountain Cable Car Station and Signal Hill, including Lions Head.
Incidents continue to be reported through 2024 and the hotspots remain areas noted above and typically within 200 meters of the park perimeter. Attacks further up the mountain are rare. With a trove of available targets at the park edge the incentive to trek higher up remains pretty low for the average criminal.
Here is a map I produce, tracking incidents. It's been used by the City of Cape Town, various news media, and hiking groups
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Check it and let me know what you think.
