A concerted effort to address crime levels in Cape Town and its surrounds was taken a step further this month with the opening of the LEAP Base in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town and further deployment of “Leap Officers” to crime hotspots, bringing the number deployed so far to 1 100.
Deploying these personnel is central to the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Government’s joint Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), which aims to boost dedicated resources for fighting crime.
The official opening of the base marks a milestone for LEAP since its inception in 2019, and it now has dedicated officers in areas impacted by high crime rates such as Atlantis, Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and other areas.
“Putting more LEAP officers into our communities as a force multiplier is just one aspect of our plan to arrest crime,” Premier Alan Winde explained. “Even without a core mandate we have come so far and know we need to go further.” All LEAP officers have undergone peace-officer training, acquired a traffic-warden certificate and training in bylaws, which they will enforce and assist other agencies with stop-and-search and house searches.
