Dear Editor
The release of the first quarter crime statistics of 2022/23 has reinforced the urgent need for policing to be devolved to capable, subnational governments.
The Western Cape recorded a 3.5% increase in contact crimes, a 5.9% increase in contact-related crimes and a 4.2% increase in property-related crimes.
These statistics highlight the police’s absolute failure in the Western Cape. SAPS does not have the capacity or resources to effectively fight crime in the province. It is for this reason that the Western Cape Provincial Government has stepped up and gone above its mandate to keep communities safe.
In line with the Provincial Government’s Safety Plan, the LEAP programme has played a crucial role in preventing and addressing crime and violence in the province. 1100 officers have been deployed to hotspots across the province. Their deployment has already resulted in 8500 arrests and over 220 guns being taken off the streets since 2020.
Just this week, Premier Alan Winde opened the Mossel Bay Joint Operation Centre which will involve structures from all levels of government and will contribute to the Western Cape’s all-of-society approach to keeping crime under control.
It is clear that crime prevention requires a more localised and data-driven approach. The national ANC government has created a police service in the Western Cape with deeply entrenched challenges which they are unable to turn around.
MPP Gillion Bosman says: “Over the past few quarters, we have witnessed how crime has become more frequent and entrenched in our communities. There is no doubt that this trend is due to the national government not being able to coordinate, resource and capacitate our police service in order to ward off crime in our communities.
While the Western Cape Government is busy pioneering with its Safety Plan, the national government can no longer ignore the obvious: the time for devolution of SAPS is now.”
Regards
Gillion Bosman, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Community Safety
