The City of Cape Town has earmarked R66 million for the next three years to expand the city’s law enforcement college to produce more well-trained officers.
Earlier this week, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and the mayoral committee member for safety, JP Smith, visited one of the colleges to highlight the intention to add more trainee officers.
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“It was a pleasure to visit the facility where 375 trainee officers are currently undergoing training. This budget allocation includes 25 additional training staff to deliver on our expanded training needs over the years ahead. We’re also in the process of constructing a brand new training facility at Muizenberg,” the mayor said.
Hill-Lewis added that the city was taking on the national responsibility of ensuring safety for its residents.
“National government’s failure of policing leadership is evident in the chronic under-resourcing of the Western Cape and in Cape Town. Here in the City of CApe Town, we are building our own municipal police force into a proper crime-fighting force and we are doing everything we can, within our resources and ability, to make residents safer.”
Meanwhile, between 5 September 2022 – 30 October 2022, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers ensured that 70 illegal firearms are no longer in the hands of these unscrupulous individuals. In the month of September 2022, 26 illegal firearms were removed, while 44 were confiscated in October 2022.
These officers also made 1 254 arrests, including 38 for the possession of an illegal firearm, 57 for the possession of illegal ammunition, 36 for the possession of an imitation firearm, 735 for the possession of drugs, and 148 for the possession of dangerous weapons.
“We have initiated the LEAP programme to strengthen the hand of the South African Police Services (SAPS) so that greater safety can be achieved in our communities,” Minister for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen said. “We feel that the national government has abandoned the residents of this province and it is for this reason that we believe they are not providing the required policing resources to the Western Cape. Through the LEAP programme, it is clear we are not sitting idle, and instead are going the extra mile, as we want to ensure our residents can live in safer environment and in dignity.”
“It is critical that residents assist our LEAP officers in this fight against crime. They, along with all law enforcement agencies, other City of Cape Town law enforcement entities and SAPS, require all of our support.”
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Picture: Cape{town}Etc Library