Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town launch 500 new law enforcement officers – Blog
From left: Allan Windé, Premier of the Western Cape Government, Dan Plato, Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Shaun Smith Deputy Chief Law Enforcement, City of Cape Town, and Albert Fritz, Minister of Community Safety delivering a keynote address at the passing out ceremony on 09 February 2020 at Athlone Stadium.
The Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town took the first crucial steps in implementing the Western Cape Safety Plan (WCSP). The Safety Plan is both evidence-led and data-driven, accommodating for the evolving safety needs of the Province. It is a whole-of-society plan which includes Provincial Government Departments, SAPS and the City of Cape Town to address the root causes of crime and violence. It will achieves this through the traditional ‘Boots on the Ground’ or Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP), coupled with targeted violence prevention interventions. The Safety Plan aim is to halve the murder rate over the next 10 years. To find out more about the Safety Plan, read here.
The fight against crime in the Western Cape received a significant boost as 500 new learner law enforcement officers took part in the official passing out parade, signaling the start of their deployment on Sunday, 09 February 2020 at Athlone Stadium.
Premier Winde and Minister Fritz are driving the implementation of the Safety Plan with officials from the Western Cape Government and City of Cape Town. The first 500 Learner Law Enforcement Officers (LLEOs) signed their employment contracts with the City of Cape Town and was deployed throughout the Western Cape to respond to crime in hotspot areas. The 500 law enforcement officers signed employment contracts commencing from end of January 2020. The 500 officers are part of the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP), which is jointly funded by the Western Cape Government in line with the Western Cape Safety Plan. Each of the 500 recruits will now be deployed into communities based on data and crime trends. In the Western Cape, ten areas account for nearly 50% of all the province’s murders. The first three areas into which they will be deployed are: Delft, Khayelitsha Site C and Philippi, including Hanover Park.
The WCSP will be implemented through strong social, stakeholder and community engagement including civil and private sector.
Minister Fritz said, “I commend Premier Winde and Mayor Plato on their support and leadership. The deployment of the first 500 LLEOs will take place in communities most affected by violence, which is informed by data taken from the top 10 crime hotspots. The deployment of the next tranche of 500 Learner LEOS will take place by the end of the year and their recruitment is already underway.
Minister Fritz added, “The first Safety Cabinet meeting will play a crucial role in outlining and implementing the socio-economic interventions necessary to address the root causes of crime, which will complement the deployment of the additional LLEOs in identified hotspot areas.”
All of the officers have undergone the required training including Peace Officer Training, a Traffic Warden Certificate and training in the by-laws of the City of Cape Town. Throughout their deployment, they will receive top-up training to ensure that they are fit for purpose.
The safety of residents is the top priority of the Western Cape Government which has allocated a significant portion of its budget to enable the recruitment of additional officers, including patrol vehicles. The Western Cape Government is also working together to implement a wide range of initiatives, across departments, aimed at violence prevention. Safety Plan is evidence of how much this government values its residents and strives to improve service delivery.
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