SURVEILLANCE REVIVAL: NMB’s R6m crime-fighting ‘Loerbroer’ is finally back in action

{JSON.stringify(article.attachments[0], null, 2)} --> After years on the sidelines, Nelson Mandela Bay’s R6-million high-tech surveillance vehicle ‘Loerbroer’ is back on the streets, promising a powerful new weapon against cable thieves and infrastructure vandals.

For five years, Nelson Mandela Bay’s multimillion-rand, high-tech crime-fighting vehicle sat idle while cable thieves, vandals and other criminals ran amok, targeting the city’s key infrastructure.

Now, the R6-million mobile surveillance vehicle (MSV) – better known as Loerbroer – is finally back on the city’s streets, with the municipality promising that its return will give law enforcement a powerful new weapon against the criminals who have been crippling services and costing the city millions.

But its return also comes after years of questions over why one of the metro’s most sophisticated crime-fighting tools was allowed to remain out of action for so long.

Speaking at the vehicle’s relaunch on Thursday, Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe issued a stern warning to those behind infrastructure vandalism and other criminal activity.

“To those who think they can hold this municipality hostage through destruction and sabotage: your time is up,” she said.

The relaunch marks the end of a drawn-out process to get Loerbroer operational again. The vehicle had been out of service for several years because of mechanical and software problems, while replacement components, including cameras, had to be sourced from abroad and officers had to undergo specialised training.

For Gustav Rautenbach, the Democratic Alliance councillor who nicknamed the vehicle “Loerbroer”, its return is the culmination of a five-year campaign to get answers from the municipality.

Rautenbach has repeatedly raised the vehicle’s prolonged absence at metro Safety and Security Committee meetings, pressing officials for updates on when it would be deployed again.

Speaking to Daily Maverick after Thursday’s relaunch, Rautenbach summed up his reaction in two words: “Hallelujah! Finally.”

“It has been a long journey. I hope that the vehicle will be utilised for the purposes that it was acquired for, which is to thwart criminal activity, especially when it comes to municipal assets and stopping vandalism. It should also ideally be utilised for other crimes,” he said.

The City’s MMC for safety and security, Luyanda Lawu, acknowledged Rautenbach’s persistence.

“I know my co-councillor, Councillor Rautenbach; when we get to this item, he will always say: ‘ MMC, waar is Loerbroer ?’” said Lawu.

“Over a year, criminal activities have become increasingly sophisticated, requiring innovative and intelligence-driven policing. We think [the return to service of Loerbroer] will make a positive impact in trying to reduce crime in Nelson Mandela Bay.”