The fight against organised crime will be intensified on the Cape Flats. That’s the message from Western Cape Premier Alan Winde who has visited Hanover Park – one of the areas identified as hotspots in the fight against gang violence.
Winde says crime destroys the fabric of society.
The provincial crime-fighting plan known as the LEAP was launched at Hanover Park at the end last year. It focuses on ending gang violence in all hotspot areas of the Cape Flats.
Winde says he will make further announcements on the fight against crime during his state of the province address later this month. He says a partnership between SAPS, the province and the City is crucial in the fight against organised crime.
“This is the safety plan of the province. It’s about listening to people; what it’s like to get extra deployments and listen to the reports on crime coming. Definitely, it makes a difference when you have the extra boot on the ground working between the LEAP offices and SAPS, it makes it a safer society.”
Ward councillor Antonio Van der Rheede says there’s is a difference since the launch of the crime-fighting plan last year.
“There is a sense of easiness because normally if you come to Hanover Park and gang violence its too quiet, but since then children are walking freely to school to buses in the morning, and the shootings are down, it’s partly due to the Leap and the co-operation of SAPS, but now it’s about jobs and housing.”
Western Cape Community Safety Minister, Albert Firtz, also visited the area. “We so impressed with the daily reports we getting from Hanover Park, since the 24th of December number of shooting simply decreased dramatically we happy about the impact of Leap on our community especially in Hanover Park.”
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security in the City of Cape Town, JP Smith, says a number of people have been arrested since the launch of the joint anti-crime operation.
Smith has described 2020 as a miserable year in which they lost eleven staff members in the safety and security department since March last year. He, however, says the operation has produced some good results despite challenges of Covid 19.
“Over 9 000 people have been searched in Hanover Park, since October last year, 194 houses searched, done an incredible number of VCPs, over 153 arrests, close to thousand fines issued and 103 operations among themselves and 37 with SAPS.”
Smith says members of the community have played a crucial role in assisting law enforcement officers with information during these anti-crime operations.
