Minister Fritz welcomes LEAP arrests of armed robbers in Hanover Park

Minister Fritz welcomes LEAP arrests of armed robbers in Hanover Park & successful recovery of stolen goods

The Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, welcomes the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) law enforcement officers, deployed through the Western Cape Safety Plan, on the arrests of four suspects involved in the robbery of a Cash Crusaders in Athlone on Saturday, 14 February 2021.

Following an armed robbery at Cash Crusaders, suspects fled in the direction of Hanover Park. LEAP officers then pursued the suspects and were able to locate the vehicle used in the crime. It was confirmed that the vehicle in question was stolen. All items and money stolen were successfully recovered.

Subsequently, all four suspects were positively identified by a witness, caught, and detained. The accused were charged for armed robbery, possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition, possession of a stolen vehicle and presumed stolen property. In addition, one firearm was recovered. The 9mm firearm serial number was filed off, 8 live rounds was found in the magazine.

Minister Fritz said, “I want to acknowledge the incredible work being done in our most vulnerable communities, as demonstrated by the following arrests. I further want to acknowledge SAPS for the collaboration and support that they are providing to LEAP officers, where they are deployed. I further want to acknowledge the sterling efforts of the community in working with LEAP to identify the whereabouts of the accused. This is an excellent example of what we can achieve by working together.”

LEAP Update:

As of October 2020, our LEAP officers were redeployed to crime hotspots including Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Bishop Lavis, and Philippi which includes Hanover Park. Between 1 February to 7 February 2021, our LEAP law enforcement officers have conducted the following actions:

• 3560 Persons searches;
• 87 house searches;
• 21 vehicle check points (VCPs);
• 11 shebeen closures and 70 follow up visits;
• 393 fines and notices issued; and
• 88 autonomous, integrated, and joint operations with SAPS.

In addition, the LEAP officers made 71 arrests over the period under review, including:

• Possession of drugs and dealing of drugs (45);
• Possession of dangerous weapons (12);
• Possession of illegal ammunition (2);
• Trading liquor without a license (3);
• Possession of an imitation firearm (3); and
• Domestic violence (1).