(Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s army put 200 soldiers on standby in case they’re needed to help deal with increasing incidents of unrest and violence linked to crime, Timeslive reported.

The instruction was issued after a military command council meeting last week, when generals were warned to be on high alert, the Johannesburg-based news website said, citing an Aug. 6 order by Major-General Patrick Dube, general officer commanding the army’s infantry formation. Any deployment would be in cooperation with the South African Police Service, it said.

One company of soldiers is always on standby in every South African province for possible deployment in an emergency, Timeslive said. The order is for an additional company to be ready.

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