LEAP Officers confiscate a high number of illegal firearms: September - October

Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers are directly ensuring that the arsenal of criminals is reduced. Between 5 September 2022 – 30 October 2022, they have ensured that 70 illegal firearms are no longer in the hands of these unscrupulous individuals. The month of September 2022 saw 26 illegal firearms being removed, while 44 were confiscated during October 2022.

LEAP is an initiative of the Western Cape Government (WCG) and is run in partnership with the City of Cape Town that is showing significant successes in the areas in which it is deployed.

Confiscations occurred in Delft, Gugulethu, Kraaifontein, Steenberg, Harare (Khayelitsha), Nyanga, Philippi, Philippi East, Bishop Lavis, Mfuleni, Manenberg, Atlantis and Mitchells Plain.

These officers are deployed where they can make the biggest difference in turning around negative crime statistics, including in our top 10 murder areas in the Western Cape. This includes 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, and recently Lavender Hill, Steenberg and Grassy Park.

These placements are backed by evidence and data.

LEAP has also started incorporating the Western Cape Government’s Safety Dashboard. This dashboard is providing real-time data to provincial safety stakeholders and helps identify exactly where the LEAP officers are most required. This strengthens our hand in anticipating where new hotspots may appear so that we can deploy the necessary resources - before crime is committed and lives are lost. The Emergency Medical Services data is also being integrated with the Safety Dashboard, to provide us with a more complete picture of violence and trauma in the province.

During 5 September 2022 - 30 October 2022, LEAP officers have amongst others:

• Searched 63 438 persons
• Searched 2 357 houses
• Conducted 10 539 patrols in hotspot areas
• Conducted 807 roadblocks
• Searched 7 342 vehicles

These officers also effected 1 254 arrests. These consisted of: 38 for the possession of an illegal firearm, 57 for the possession of illegal ammunition, 36 for the possession of an imitation firearm, 735 for the possession of drugs and 148 for the possession of dangerous weapons.

As LEAP officers work with a multitude of law enforcement agencies, they conducted 1 472 integrated operations with other City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Agencies and SAPS.

Minister for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen said: “We have initiated the LEAP programme to strengthen the hand of the South African Police Services (SAPS) so that greater safety can be achieved in our communities. We feel that the national government has abandoned the residents of this province and it is for this reason that we believe they are not providing the required policing resources to the Western Cape. Through the LEAP programme, it is clear we are not sitting idle, and instead are going the extra mile, as we want to ensure our residents can live in safer environment and in dignity.”

Minister Reagen Allen continued: “SAPS under a capable government such as ours will be professional, operate in a manner that shows residents they can be trusted, and similarly to LEAP, will be deployed strategically and according to the safety needs of an area. Our call to have SAPS devolved will not cease, as the national government continues to fail our people.”

“It is critical that residents assist our LEAP officers in this fight against crime. They, along with all law enforcement agencies, other City of Cape Town law enforcement entities and SAPS, require all of our support” concluded Minister Reagen Allen.