The City of Cape Town has decided to direct some of the staff employed in terms of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), to support existing City enforcement services and SAPS working in Ocean View to quell a flare up of violence in recent days.
In the latest incidents overnight, the Fire and Rescue Service responded to two houses that had been set alight. The South African Police Service confirmed two more house fires, but advised firefighters against entering the area.
Then, on Tuesday night, at least two people were shot and killed – one of them seven-year-old Emaan Solomons who was caught in gang crossfire.
The City’s Area Law Enforcement staff along with the Metro Police Gang and Drug Task Team and Tactical Response Unit have been supporting the South African Police Service in Ocean View.
However, we are of the view that there is a need for more boots on the ground, hence the decision to redirect some of our LEAP officers to the area.
Two months ago, we would not have had the spare resources to redeploy staff rapidly in response to a crisis like this, especially when it is concurrent with other hotspot areas like Bonteheuwel, but thanks to LEAP, we are now able to be more responsive to crises around the city.
Their responsibilities will include patrols, vehicle control points, tracing wanted suspects, cordon off and search operations and protest-related actions.
The City understands that residents are frustrated and that the violent backlash we have witnessed in the last 12 hours is driven by the anger around yet another senseless killing of an innocent child.
However, we appeal to residents to not take the law into their own hands and to work with enforcement agencies instead to identify and arrest the criminals who are putting lives at risk in their community.