30 873 Arrests

he Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers have once again been actively ensuring that criminals are removed from communities where they are deployed. Since inception 30 873 arrests have been made to 28 April 2024. This includes the 1 077 individuals who were also arrested for various crimes between 1 and 28 April 2024, while 23 firearms were confiscated. LEAP, which stems from the Western Cape Safety Plan(WCSP) is an initiative of the Western Cape Government(WCG) in partnership with the City of Cape Town(CoCT).

The 23 firearms confiscated were:

• x1 Firearm in Atlantis;
• x2 Revolvers in Bishop Lavis;
• x4 Pistols in Delft;
• x1 Pistol in Gugulethu;
• x1 Firearm in Harare;
• x1 Pistol and x1 zip gun in Khayelitsha;
• x1 Zip gun and x1 revolver in Kraaifontein;
• x1 Revolver and x1 firearm in Nyanga;
• x5 Pistols in Philippi;
• x1 Pistol in Philippi East; and
• x1 Pistol and x1 rifle in Samora Machel.

Amongst others, the arrests included:

• 26 for the possession of illegal firearms,
• 14 for the possession of imitation firearms, including zip guns,
• 55 for the possession of dangerous weapons,
• 725 for the possession of drugs and
• 15 for dealing in drugs.

Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, said; “as the WCG, we continue to deploy our LEAP officers to these hotspot areas, as these areas contribute to more than 50% of all murders across the entire province. This is part of the reason why we remain resolute and determined to bring about a turnaround, so that greater safety can be achieved in these areas and by extension the whole of the Western Cape. We will continue our efforts to combat crime, as the safety of our communities is our priority.”

LEAP is strategically deployed, and its operations are based on evidence and data so that they support communities most affected. 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.

LEAP officers work with a multitude of law enforcement agencies which is inclusive of other CoCT Law Enforcement agencies, the South African Police Service(SAPS), Neighbourhood Watches, Community Policing Forums and various other stakeholders.

“In order for us to make greater strides in the fight against crime, policing has to be done differently. Not only would this entail a  new policing model that utilises evidence based policing in its deployment, which LEAP follows, but also devolution of policing powers to capable provincial governments such as ourselves. This will go a long way to restoring trust in SAPS, while it will serve as encouragement for greater collaboration between various safety stakeholders. The status quo cannot remain. Residents are encouraged to work with our LEAP officers, as this will strengthen crime fighting efforts on all fronts,” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.