“We will do whatever it takes to make the province safer for all” | Western Cape Government

News

News

“We will do whatever it takes to make the province safer for all”

30 March 2021

Today, the Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, presented the Department of Community Safety’s budget for the 2021/22 financial year. In Minister Fritz’s speech, he highlighted that the Western Cape Government “will do whatever it takes to make the province safer for all”.

Minister Fritz said, “My Department has particularly gone above and beyond its Constitutional mandate to bring the Western Cape Safety Plan into fruition and halve the murder rate over the next ten years. We have prioritized the safety of its residents and will spend R2.35 billion over the medium term.”

Minister Fritz added, “Having transferred most of the operational and start-up capital costs for the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) programme to the City of Cape Town, the Department’s budget allocation has decreased for the 2021/22 financial year by 5.79%. This brings our total budget to R739.049 million for the 2021/22 financial year. Make no mistake, our next tranche of LEAP officers is on the way!”

The budget has further allocated:

  • R20 million towards the Youth Safety Ambassador programme. In total, 1000 young people will be deployed to assist in violence prevention interventions, while supporting Area Based Teams;
  • R5.665 million for the professionalisation, accreditation and resourcing of Neighbourhood Watch units;
  • R12.534 million to Area Based Teams for the 2021/22 financial year, which will ensure that we pool together the relevant safety stakeholders and ensure data-led and evidence driven law enforcement deployments and violence prevention interventions; and
  • R7.336 million for the growth of Chrysalis Academy’s its modular programme, ensuring that more young people can benefit from the life-changing 3-month residential programme.  

Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) Update:

Over the past eight weeks, our LEAP officers have been hard at work making our communities for all who live in them. In total, they have conducted:

  • 31 984 person searches;
  • 901 house searches;
  • 3962 Vehicle Check Points and vehicle searches;
  • 476 follow up visits to ensure shebeens are closed and inspect liquor premises;
  • 2272 notices and fines; and
  • 664 joint, integrated and autonomous operations with SAPS.

In addition, LEAP officers have made a total of 579 arrests related to possession and dealing of drugs, possession of dangerous weapons, illegal firearms, and ammunition, business and armed robbery, rape, theft, riotous behaviour, attempted murder, domestic violence, destruction of essential infrastructure, to name a few.

Minister Fritz said, “I wish to commend our LEAP officers for having confiscated 25 imitation firearms, 12 illegal firearms approximately 118 x 9mm rounds and 2 x R5 rounds of ammunitions. In addition, they have confiscated 110 and 12 abandoned knives. Taking weapons off our streets will go a long way in making our communities safer for all who live in it.”

The budget vote speech can be read here: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/speech/department-community-services-budget-vote-speech-2021-22

Media Enquiries: 

Cayla Ann Tomás Murray
Spokesperson for Minister Albert Fritz
Tel: 021 483 9217
Cell: 064 121 7959
Email: Cayla.murray@westerncape.gov.za