LEAP Redeployment and double-up plan bearing fruit

LEAP redeployment and double-up plan bearing fruit

Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has welcomed the successes of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) double-up strategy, which has seen decreases in murder in most deployment areas.

The latest quarterly crime statistics, released this week, show an 8.7% decrease in murder in the Western Cape.

Minister Marais said, “The decrease in murder in almost all the areas where LEAP officers are permanently deployed generally outpaced even the general decrease in the rest of the Western Cape. It means that through adapting LEAP, in keeping with what data and evidence are telling us, we are making inroads in combating crime. Criminals are known to change their tactics and behaviour, and so we too must stay one step ahead of them. The Western Cape Government and its crime-fighting partners must continuously look at ways to adapt. I want to thank every LEAP member for their contribution to this improvement in our efforts to fight crime in the Western Cape.”

Reductions in murder were recorded in the following areas where LEAP officers are permanently deployed: 
•          Delft (-15%), 
•          Gugulethu (-1.8%), 
•          Khayelitsha (-6.1%), 
•          Mitchell’s Plain (-19%) and 
•          Nyanga (9,9%).

However, an increase of 60,9% in murders was recorded in Phillipi East.

Minister Marais believes there is a continued need to focus policing resources in these areas. The Western Cape Government will continue to deploy additional law enforcement resources to target the areas that are most affected by violent crime.

“As the Western Cape Government, we take cold comfort in these decreases. One life lost to violent crime is one too many. While we welcome the reduction in murders, we are realistic that our job is far from done,” Minister Marais continued.

She reiterated that the efforts of all safety partners to work in a more coordinated fashion have been put in place with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Western Cape Government, South African Police Service (SAPS), and the City of Cape Town.

Media Enquiries: 
Jan-Jan Joubert, MLO to Minister Marais
Cell: 083 303 9238
Email: Jan.Joubert@westerncape.gov.za