The City of Cape Town (COCT) has confirmed that it will further bolster the Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) with the addition of 233 officers.
According to the COCT, the LEAP is a joint initiative between the city’s safety and security directorate and the Western Cape Provincial Government. All officers attached to the initiative underwent the required training, including Peace Officer Training, bylaw training and also obtain a Traffic Warden Certificate. They also assist other enforcement agencies with crime prevention.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith indicated that the latest group of recruits will complete their training by December and will assume active duty as soon as they have received their appointment cards.
“LEAP has provided a massive boost to the City’s enforcement efforts. The impact of the programme has become more and more evident over time, particularly with the increased resources devoted to it, in some of our most crime-plagued suburbs,” Smith said.
Smith added that his staff are doing excellent work and have helped ease the pressure on enforcement services across the board, as they made nearly 3 000 arrests and confiscated 81 firearms in the last year.
“These successes are also yet another example of why we must oppose any efforts by the national government to take control of local policing resources,” Smith reiterated.
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Meanwhile, LEAP officers are currently deployed in Kraaifontein, Harare and Site B in Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Delft , Philippi, Mitchells Plain, Bishop Lavis, Nyanga and a reaction unit in Gugulethu. The areas next in line for deployment include Atlantis, Samora Machel, Philippi East and a dedicated group in Gugulethu.
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Picture: COCT