Minister Anroux Marais commends Western Cape’s Reaction Units successes

Minister Anroux Marais commends Western Cape’s Reaction Units successes in creating safer communities

Acting Minister of Community Safety, Anroux Marais, commends the recent successful Joint Crime Prevention Operations executed by the Department of Community Safety supported Reaction Units, in particular the LEAP Programme as well as the K9 Units across the province.

On Friday, 8 April 2022, the Overstrand Municipality, Law Enforcement Task team and K9 unit stopped a car during a routine patrol in the direction of Hermanus. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered 11 large bags of marijuana. The vehicle and drugs were confiscated, the suspect was taken to the Hermanus Police Station and was arrested. 

Additionally, on the morning of 8 April 2022, the K9 Unit conducted crime prevention patrols in Mount Pleasant. A young adult male was identified selling bags of marijuana at a school in Hawston. The suspect was arrested along with another suspect for possession of marijuana and an undisclosed amount of money. The two suspects were arrested and taken to the Hermanus Police Station where a case docket was opened against them.

The most recent LEAP updates recorded for 4 – 10 April 2022 highlights the:

Actions executed

Arrests executed

Details of confiscations

Minister Marais said, “Regardless of political affiliation, I am sure we can all agree that the Reaction Units supported by the Department of Community Safety has made significant strides in the Western Cape Safety Plan in its efforts to halve the murder rate by 2029, informed by evidence and implemented using data and technology to create safer communities in the Western Cape”.

To emphasize the successes of the Provincial Safety Plan’s interventions in response to the all-round under-resourcing within the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape, the recent release of the quarterly crime statistics for the third quarter of 2021/22 should be considered. Covering the period of October to December 2021, the statistics show a 6.9% decrease in murder and a 24.5% decrease in attempted murder compared to the previous quarter in the province. It demonstrates clearly that our Provincial Safety Plan interventions are making a difference. Since the inception of the plan, 1056 LEAP officers have been deployed to crime hotspots. The working hours of these LEAP members were also extended to a 24-hour shift system which resulted in an increase in deployments over weekends when murders increased according to our data. Furthermore, a Reaction Unit consisting of LEAP members was established to urgently respond to outbreaks of violence when it occurs.

This department will, with the budgetary investment of R700 million over the next two years for the LEAP Programme, play its part to give effect to provincial safety in support of its constitutional oversight mandate, ensuring that gaps are identified  and addressed – making the province safer for all who live in it.

In taking its oversight role even more seriously, and not only at the national level, but at the local level as well because a Whole of Society and Whole of Government Approach is pivotal to creating safer communities, the department is significantly expanding its monitoring of police stations across the province, with a focus on GBV and domestic violence responses, police conduct, visible policing, and crime investigation efficiency.

Guided by this collaborative approach, the Department has implemented an evidence-based and holistic transversal response to violence in our society with a sense of urgency. The purpose is to achieve safe and cohesive communities in the Western Cape. Its realization is an imperative, as crime and fragmented communities reduce the life chances and opportunities of individuals, further destabilising communities in a vicious cycle, and hinder socio-economic and personal development. To strengthen our partnerships in relation to the Provincial Safety Plan to afford safer spaces:

• The expansion of the Chrysalis Academy will receive R 25.2 million over the MTEF period 2022-2024
• To further roll out the safety plan at the district level, R6. million will be provided in the 2022/23 financial year.
• The EPWP will receive R26.1 m of which R3.8 million is a conditional grant
• Neighbourhood Watch resourcing will receive R5.7 million. I am happy to announce that the Department is currently looking to increase this support as the budget and capacity allows.
• To boost the Department’s support to municipalities for K9 units, R8.8 million has been allocated.
• A total of R6.9 million has been allocated for the resourcing of Reaction Units at Swartland Municipality and Overstrand District Municipality
• The Department will continue to drive the reduction of alcohol harms through amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Act and will submit a publication of amendments to the Western Cape Liquor Regulations in respect of fees and fines to be paid in terms of the Act. As the Department is mandated to lead and direct a task team to review and amend the Western Cape Liquor Act to take forward public health-based alcohol-harms reduction strategies and interventions, the Western Cape Liquor Authority will receive its annual allocation of R45.6 million.
• As we take our Provincial Safety Plan to the next level, a new Violence Prevention Unit will be established in the Western Cape’s Department of Health. This unit will use public health data to identify localized strategies to prevent violence before it occurs.

Minister Marais concluded, “We are indeed proud of the commendable efforts successfully executed by the Reaction Units across the province. While fulfilling this Acting role, I am more convinced that in partnership with the respective municipalities and stakeholders in safety, the Department of Community Safety’s Reaction Units make a significant difference with the lifesaving measures they actively have in place, risking their own lives to create safer communities for you.

I wholeheartedly thank the officials of the Department of Community Safety, our partners in the various municipalities and sister Western Cape Government Departments, the South African Police Service and local law enforcement for their collaboration in creating safer and more cohesive communities in the Western Cape. The continued spirit of cooperation with these critical partners goes a long way in our collaborative fight against crime”.

Photographs are available on request.