During the past long weekend, between 6 – 10 April 2023, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers handed out cuffs, instead of Easter eggs, when they arrested 138 individuals for various offences. During this period, three firearms were also recovered. 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:
- 3 for the possession of illegal firearms
- 2 for the possession of imitation firearms
- 6 for the possession of dangerous weapons and
- 117 for the possession of drugs
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen said: “While many were celebrating or commemorating the various religious rituals, our LEAP officers were at hand to ensure law and order, and these arrests pays testament to their continued efforts to make our streets safer. We have committed to being relentless in our pursuit of safer and dignified environments, where our residents do not have to live in fear. As the Western Cape Government, through our Safety Plan, our goal is clear, and that is to 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: “We are in the process of planning further initiatives to ensure LEAP and its partners become more effective in fighting crime. Part of this are the planned LEAP stations which will be launched later this year. We have already set aside R10 million for these stations. Furthermore, we want to ensure that LEAP becomes more accessible to our residents, so that there is a further layer where matters are reported and shared.”
LEAP is strategically deployed, and its operations are based on 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 4811 persons,
- Searched 138 houses,
- Conducted 924 patrols in hotspot areas,
- Conducted 40 roadblocks and
- Searched 357 vehicles.
LEAP officers work with a multitude of law enforcement agencies which is inclusive of other City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Agencies, the South African Police Service (SAPS), neighbourhood watches (NHWs), Community Policing Forums (CPFs) and various other stakeholders.
“I once again call on all in the province to support the efforts of LEAP and other law enforcement agencies, as this will assist in achieving greater success and removing crime from our communities. We all have a role to play in making our communities safer,” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.
