A member of the SAPS and an LEAP officer were wounded when shots were fired during an altercation with the community in Ravensmead on Friday.
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According to police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, officers found liquor that had been abandoned in an alley in the area as part of a crime combating operation.
The police sergeant, 44, had a bullet graze his head while the LEAP officer was wounded in his leg.
He said that a group of people were arrested on charges of attempted murder and public violence.
‘Members have arrested 10 suspects, men between the ages 20 and 54, in connection with the mentioned charges,’ he said.
‘They are currently being processed and will appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court once charged. Meantime, reinforcements were deployed in the area to monitor and normalise the situation.’
Meanwhile, the CoCT announced that they would be increasing the reward for information which will lead to the arrest of the killers of LEAP officer Zanikhaya Kwinana to R1.3 million.
Kwinana was a passenger in a marked Law Enforcement vehicle that came under heavy fire while driving in Nyanga, just after 8 pm on Friday, 4 August amid the 8-day taxi strike.
In a joint press release, Premier Alan Winde and provincial MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen noted that the Western Cape had seen a 5.5% decline in the murder rate during the first quarter of crime statistics for April to June 2023.
‘This is a consecutive decrease, given that during the 4th quarter of the previous financial year the province also recorded a 14.1% reduction for the period. This is a decrease of 55 murders from 994 murders during the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year to 939,’ they said.
Bishop Lavis (25%), Gugulethu (37.2%), Mitchells Plain (15%), Khayelitsha (11.9%), Harare (16%), and Mfuleni (10%) all saw increases in homicides during the deployment of LEAP officers.
When compared to the same period the previous year, they claimed that the number of murder cases in the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) areas dropped from 494 cases in 2022/23 to 466 cases in 2023/24, a 5.7% decrease.
They added that gang-related killings continued to be a problem, with 166 of the 193 murders committed nationwide taking place in this province.
‘The recent violence during the taxi strike and protests are also alarming, particularly since it included the loss of life,’ said Allen
‘Protest action should never lead to the loss of life, and we remain determined to see the murder rate decrease by 50% by 2029.
‘We have to pull together to combat murder and all other crimes, as we all have a role to play, regardless of where it might be occurring.’
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook