To welcome the launch of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan’s (LEAP) Reaction Unit, the Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, and the Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen, joined the Unit in a ride-along, departing from Steenberg SAPS on Friday.
The unit, which is made up of LEAP officers, has been redeployed to Steenberg and Ottery following an increase in gang-related violence and shootings in Lavender Hill and Grassy Park areas.
Winde said the Reaction Unit is acting as a force multiplier, assisting the police command centre in responding to flare-ups and shootings in areas that are not designated LEAP hotspots and which do not have a fixed LEAP deployment. Instead, they are deployed temporarily to restore and stabilise the communities they are placed in.
Allen said the unit which was established in February this year focuses on reducing violent crimes and murders. “It was previously deployed in Manenberg and Elsies River amid an increase in gang-related violence, shootings, and murders. Going forward, the Reaction Unit will be expanded to provide greater support to communities impacted by flare-ups in shooting incidents,” he said.
To date, these are some of highlights and successes made by the LEAP Reaction Unit
Searched 22 021 people and 632 houses;
Conducted 140 vehicle checkpoints and searched 2753 vehicles;
Made 41 follow up visits to ensure unlicensed liquor outlets were closed;
Conducted 681 inspections of on-consumption liquor premises and 99 inspections of off-consumption liquor;
Issued 140 fines for offences committed;
Conducted 221 autonomous operations and 598 integrated or joint operations;
Recovered 8 firearms; and
Made 260 arrests.
Winde added that the City has been a critical partner in getting the law enforcement component of the safety plan off the ground and they are proud of what LEAP, and particularly the LEAP Reaction Unit, has achieved in such a short time.
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Picture: Western Cape government