Now That is a Lot of Arrests

The Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers ensured greater visibility in various hotspot areas where they are deployed. Between 4 and 31 December 2023, the officers arrested 1 103 individuals for various crimes, while confiscating 15 firearms. 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 15 firearms confiscated were:

• x1 Zip gun in Atlantis;
• x2 Pistols in Bishop Lavis;
• x1 Pistol and x2 zip guns in Delft;
• x2 Revolvers in Harare;
• x1 Revolver and x2 zip guns in Kraaifontein;
• x1 Firearm and x1 zip gun in Mfuleni; and
• x1 Firearm and x1 pistol in Philippi;

Amongst others, the arrests included:

• 14 for the possession of illegal firearms,
• 11 for the possession of imitation firearms,
• 68 for the possession of dangerous weapons,
• 756 for the possession of drugs and
• 22 for dealing in drugs.

Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, said: “As the WCG, we are grateful to our LEAP officers, who on a daily basis have to work in difficult conditions, yet their commitment to creating safer communities is unwavering. Their dedication to our WCSP is a clear demonstration of how we want to ensure our residents can live in safer and improved environments. We have a clear goal, and that is to halve the murder rate by 2029. Our communities are assured that we will continue our efforts to combat crime, as their safety is our priority.”

LEAP is strategically deployed, and its operations are based on evidence and data so that they support communities most effected. 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, Neighbourhood Watches, Community Policing Forums and various other stakeholders.

“Achieving true success as set out in our WCSP, we require all safety stakeholders to work together. Politicking, pettiness, seeking favour with criminals or anything that will be counterproductive to us overcoming crime will only lead to unsafe communities and continued violence. I urge every safety stakeholder and society at large to work with our LEAP officers, as this will assist in ensuring that we have crimefree and dignified communities,” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.