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South Africa ups Table Mountain security


    CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Authorities are boosting security at South Africa's Table Mountain to fight crime that has caused a drop in tourist numbers, a Cape Town city official said on Thursday.

    Councillor Simon Grindrod said the mountain's Signal Hillarea -- popular with lovers seeking a secluded spot or touristswanting unparalleled views across Table Bay -- will have24-hour security in place from May 13.

    The new measures include foot patrols, closed-circuit TV,panic buttons, motion detectors and increased lighting.

    "South Africa is at the cusp of its biggest tourism drawcard in its history, the 2010 Soccer World Cup," Grindrod saidin a statement.

    "It sends the wrong signal when we pack up and leave anattraction simply because of the threat of crime. Let us standup and find a solution," he said, adding private securitycompanies Chubb and Fidelity would provide their services forfree as part of the new plan.

    Some 1.5 million people visit Signal Hill every year, butincreasing crime has seen access curbed significantly. Viewingwill now be extended to 1 a.m., Grindrod said.

    South Africa, which has among the world's worst statisticsfor violent crime outside a war zone, is battling perceptionsof being an unsafe destination ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

    Crime on Table Mountain, with hikers and cyclists providingeasy pickings for muggers, has prompted calls for the army tobe deployed.

    (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Caroline Drees)