Nearly 13 000 suspects arrested for various crimes in 2023, thanks to LEAP

The Western Cape’s Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers arrested close to 13 000 suspects for various crimes in 2023. According to figures from the Western Cape’s Department of Police Oversight & Community Safety, 12 826 arrests were made in the past 12 months, with majority of arrests made for being in possession of dangerous weapons and dealing in drugs.

LEAP officers, which stems from the Western Cape Safety Plan(WCSP), work alongside other law enforcement agencies, such as City of Cape Town, Metro Police and SAPS. Officers are deployed in crime hotspot areas in the metro, including, 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.

For the month of December 2023, LEAP officers arrested 1 103 suspects for various crimes – an increase of 150 from November.

Between 4 and 31 December 2023, officers also confiscated 15 firearms.

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;

PHOTO COURTESY: WCGov

Other arrests include 756 for the possession of drugs, 68 for the possession of dangerous weapons, 22 for dealing in drugs, 14 for the possession of illegal firearms, and eleven suspects were arrested in December for the possession of imitation firearms.

PHOTO COURTESY: WCGov

Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC, Reagen Allen, says a whole of society approach is needed, in order for the province to reduce the murder rate by 2029 to 50%.

“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.’’

 

Done by: Mitchum George