Western Cape reaction unit makes 176 arrests in seven days

29 May 2022 - 12:04 By Isaac Mahlangu
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The LEAP officers in the Western Cape made 176 arrests in just one week.
The LEAP officers in the Western Cape made 176 arrests in just one week.
Image: 123RF/Allan Swart

The Western Cape's law enforcement advancement plan (LEAP) officers have made 176 arrests in a week, the provincial government announced.

The LEAP unit was started in 2020 by the Western Cape provincial government and operates through the City of Cape Town's metro police department.

The Western Cape government announced on Sunday that between May 16 and 22 176 perpetrators were arrested for a variety of offences through the efforts of LEAP officers.

The department of police oversight and community safety stated that 91 were nabbed for being in possession of drugs, 22 for possession of dangerous weapons and the balance for various other offences.

The illegal firearms were confiscated in Delft, Gugulethu and Kraaifontein.

“Where LEAP is deployed, its impact against crime is being seen and felt by communities. This confirms why visible policing through boots on the ground is so important. Perhaps these successes will convince the national minister of police why additional resources are required and so well deserved,” said MEC for police oversight and community safety Reagen Allen.

Allen said the newly launched Safety Dashboard with its data and evidence, will help to further guide how and where the LEAP officers should be deployed.

“It will also guide us in terms of our violence prevention interventions.”

The department stated that in seven days, the unit had conducted 8,540 searches on people while 395 houses and 955 vehicles were also searched. The unit also conducted 90 roadblocks.

“I’d like to thank communities for their continued support and assistance to the LEAP officers. Their vigilance and reporting have ensured that perpetrators could be tracked and arrested. We’ll continue to rely on all our communities and the various volunteer structures if we’re to achieve greater success, and halve the murder rate by 2029,” Allen said.

The department stated that the LEAP officers “are force multipliers and work hand-in-hand with other law enforcement agencies to enhance and strengthen crime-fighting efforts.”

The officers have been part of 12 integrated operations with other City of Cape Town law enforcement and 168 operations with SAPS were conducted, according to the department.

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