Police Oversight and Community Safety
How effective has the deployment of LEAP officers in the hotspots of Cape Town been when measured against current crime rates in Cape Town?
- The Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) were implemented in two broad phases. Phase one was implemented between June 2020 and September 2020. The LEAP officers were deployed in Bishop Lavis, Delft, Khayelitsha, Philippi and Nyanga areas. In phase two, from July 2021, the LEAP deployments were extended to include Mitchells Plain, Harare, Kraaifontein, Mfuleni, and Gugulethu areas.
The quarterly crime statistics were used to understand whether there is any link between the LEAP deployment and the crime statistics. The period January to June 2019 was compared with the period January to June 2022. The crime statistics for the periods 2020 and 2021 were omitted because crime decreased significantly in that period due to the Covid lockdown.
The LEAP areas were compared with four control sites, namely Lingelethu West, Samora Machel, Philippi East and Manenberg.
During the period under review, murder increased in South Africa by 21%. Murder increased in the Western Cape overall by 4%. The combined areas where LEAP was deployed showed a reduction in murder of 3%, whereas the comparison control sites showed an increase of 31%.
Key activities by LEAP which contribute to a reduction in murder include stop and search of people, search of houses, inspection of licenced and unlicensed liquor outlets, vehicle stop and search and vehicle check points. They conduct these activities through autonomous operations and joint operations with SAPS, Metro Police, Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA) and other law enforcement agencies. Since inception, to the end of September 2022, LEAP have made 9 864 arrests (Figure 1), and have confiscated 240 firearms (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Total arrests made by LEAP: February 2020 to September 2022
Figure 2: Number of firearms confiscated by LEAP: February 2020 to September 2022
These figures suggest a promising link between the deployment of LEAP in the areas and a reduction of murder during the review period.
Engagements with the communities in the City of Cape Town have provided positive feedback on the activities and impact of LEAP, and requests for LEAP deployment to be expanded to other areas in the metro. Communities and local government in rural areas have also requested the establishment of similar initiatives in the Districts. This is further indication of the impact of LEAP.
