There is an outcry from the community of Kraaifontein over the withdrawal of all Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) officers from Kraaifontein and their redeployment to Philippi by the City of Cape Town.
This despite the gang-ridden suburb being the seventh-most violent suburb in the province.
Specially-trained Leap officers were introduced in 2020 as part of the Western Cape Safety plan, a joint initiative of the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, its aim to stabilise crime in hotspot areas.
The primary focus of Leap, as stated by the Western Cape Government in 2020, was the deployment of more Law Enforcement officers in the top 10 crime areas, including Kraaifontein, to make communities feel safer. These officers were dedicated to these areas based on data and crime trends, and did indeed in the years that followed make a dent in the high crime stats in Kraaifontein.
Kraaifontein CPF chair Rob Bisset told TygerBurger he was deeply perturbed by this decision.
Leap officers have played a big part in the combat against crime in Kraaifontein, and I think they are making a big mistake,” he said. The community Facebook page Kraailove last Friday posted about the issue saying the redeployment was brought under their attention, a fact that was later corroborated by a reliable TygerBurger source.
According to the source the officers left the area on Sunday.
“The officers told community members they were leaving and came to say goodbye,” said the source.
Tagging Cape Town Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith in the post on the community Facebook page, it was asked in Afrikaans, “Is dit waar? Wat van die mense? Wat van ons veiligheid? Hoekom iets weg haal wat werk? Ons kan nie die bamptes verloor nie. Want dan gaan ons plek weer word soos wat dit was.”
Concerned members of the community Johannes Kayster and Amelia Fredericks commented on the post asking how, with the current high crime statistics, such a move was justified. Also Loriaan Croy asked, “How does this happen? JP you are safe where you are, but what about our children?
‘We will fight to get them back’
In another post, Kraailove thanked Leap officers for everything they had done for the community saying they would fight to get them back.
In response to a media inquiry the City of Cape Town, Smith did not confirm or deny the withdrawal of the officers from Kraaifontein.
He said: “The City’s Law Enforcement Department had initiated a double-up trial deployment for Leap, to combat the evolving organised crime and extortion syndicates plaguing communities in crime hotspots proactively by increasing resources in six police precincts.”Listed for increased deployment for the trial period, they were Delft, Khayelitsha, Phillipi East, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain and Gugulethu.
Smith said Leap would redeploy members from “less affected” precincts to bolster and focus on these six precincts. However, the latest quarterly crime statistics placed Kraaifontein as the third-highest precinct in the province for serious crimes reported by the community.
The murder rate showed an increase of 86,2%, and more than 100% increase in attempted murder. Smith said the decision was made in consultation with the South African Police Service after a successful trial in Delft that started in 2023.
He stated that a Reaction Unit of 120 members will continue to support Kraaifontein and other areas in the City.
“The City has increasingly been investing in technology as a force multiplier, to be a critical addition in its efforts to disrupt syndicates and gangs that are turning communities into war zones. The Leap programme must always remain dynamic in adapting to the needs of the ever-changing war against crime. The changed strategy will deploy more Leap officers to the worst crime areas for maximum impact, while the Reaction Unit will ensure immediate response to a flare-up in any other part of Cape Town. Critical lessons have been learnt since the initial deployment of Leap and the recently signed cooperation agreement with the police allows the Leap partners to reconsider the deployment patterns and explore different strategies to make Cape Town safer.”
