The recruits, deployed in five of Cape Town’s crime hotspots, are holding their own, with arrests on a range of offences, including drug possession, robbery and possession of dangerous weapons.
Cape Town’s LEAP officers continue to make inroads.
Over a two-week period between 19 October and 1 November, officers deployed in five clusters made 52 arrests, issued 2 094 fines for traffic and by-law transgressions and conducted dozens of operations with other enforcement agencies.
During this time, they also inspected 40 shebeens to ensure compliance.
Today, the Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato and the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith spent time conducting foot patrols with officers in Khayelitsha.
The visit formed part of a series of oversight visits of the LEAP initiative, which is a joint undertaking between the City and the Western Cape Government.
‘Supporting efforts to tackle crime is a collaborative effort and we are doing our best to improve safety and security in neighbourhoods in partnership with other spheres of government. LEAP is a joint initiative between local and provincial government because we know increasing safety is not something that can be achieved alone – it requires a multi-pronged and comprehensive strategy. I am pleased to see these additional officers on the ground in Khayelitsha and we hope that together this project brings more stability and peace to this community,’ said Mayor Plato.
The Khayelitsha LEAP deployment is one of five cluster deployments in policing precincts, with the rest focused on Philippi, Manenberg, Bishop Lavis and Delft.
Hanover Park was the most recent deployment to go live in October.
The operational concept of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan is to ensure increased visible enforcement, to build relationships with residents, businesses and key community structures, to gather information on crime patterns and key areas of concern in their area of deployment, and to support other enforcement agencies.
‘It is important to be clear on the mandate of the LEAP officers, but also to understand that it takes time to make a meaningful impact. Furthermore, it is important to understand that SAPS remains the primary agency responsible for crime prevention, particularly serious and violent crimes, the investigation of crime and the conviction of those responsible. LEAP is meant to act in support of SAPS, while ensuring compliance with the City’s by-laws. And, while officers will respond to any incident in progress, they are neither trained nor mandated to investigate crimes and to ensure prosecutions,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.