South Africa has grappled for years with a criminal justice system overwhelmed by violent crime, resource constraints and a national police service (SAPS) that is stretched far beyond its capacity. While SAPS faces mounting challenges, the recent crime statistics show that locally-driven interventions — such as the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) and the City of Cape Town Metro Police — are achieving measurable success in reducing crime in the Western Cape. This begs the question: isn’t it time to devolve detective services and crime intelligence functions to metro and provincial governments where competent leadership exists?  ..