Between 30 January 2023 and 19 February 2023, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers effected the arrest of 688 individuals for various offences. LEAP is an initiative of the Western Cape Government (WCG) and is run in partnership with the City of Cape Town.
Amongst others, the arrests included:
- 14 for the possession of illegal firearms
- 11 for the possession of imitation firearms
- 51 for the possession of dangerous weapons
- 440 for the possession of drugs and
- 25 for the possession of ammunition
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen said: “The continued arrests made by the LEAP officers is testament to how the Western Cape Government is committed to ensuring that criminals are removed from our streets. These officers are the embodiment of the Western Cape Safety Plan, which amongst others seek to create safer communities and reduce the murder rate by 50% by 2029. This is critical as we want our residents to live in dignity and without fear.”
Minister Reagen Allen continued: “The third quarter crime statistics has shown that we have a tough road ahead of us, if we are going to combat crime. This is making us more determined to address the issues we are faced with. As the national government continues to fail the dedicated South African Police Services (SAPS) members by not providing the required resources and equipment, we will work our socks off for our residents. We will not allow the Western Cape to become a lawless province. It is high time that policing is devolved to us, as we are a capable provincial government that will manage policing effectively.”
LEAP is strategically deployed, and its operations are based on available evidence and data. This approach is also used as part of monitoring and evaluation to determine the effectiveness of LEAP and inform a cycle of continuous improvement. This includes our top 10 murder areas in the Western Cape, such as Delft, Gugulethu, Harare, Khayelitsha (Site B policing precinct), Kraaifontein, Mfuleni, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga, Philippi East, and Samora Machel. Other high crime areas in which they are deployed are Atlantis, Bishop Lavis and Hanover Park, along with Lavender Hill, Steenberg and Grassy Park.
During the same period, LEAP officers have amongst others:
- Searched 28 884 persons,
- Searched 913 houses,
- Conducted 5 040 patrols in hotspot areas,
- Conducted 243 roadblocks and
- Searched 2 616 vehicles.
As LEAP officers work with a multitude of law enforcement agencies, they conducted 591 integrated operations with other City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Agencies and the SAPS.
“In order for LEAP to achieve more and greater success, all of society has to play a role and assist law enforcement across the board. I encourage all residents, entities, business and organisations to work hand-in-hand with our LEAP officers, so that we become more effective in our fight against crime,” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.