The Bishop Lavis Community Police Forum say they were left in the dark about the launch of new Law Enforcement officers in their area.
The event, which included the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Government, took place on Thursday morning in Lavis Drive as they celebrated the recruitment of 1100 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers since its inception.
CPF chairperson Graham Lindorst accused the authorities of sidelining them: “Unfortunately, I was not at the launch because we were not invited. They don’t work with the communities.”
Residents peeked through the fence taking pictures with their cellphones to catch the glimpse of Premier Alan Winde and Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis who made speeches.
The exact number of new officers was not disclosed, due to the City citing “security reasons”, but 100 officers were present.
A disappointed resident told Daily Voice: “The community was surprised when they saw the City people setting up. We asked and we were told that there was a launch (for the LEAP officers).
“We know that our CPF fought for Law Enforcement to get that space; they totally excluded the community.”
The City did not comment on why CPF members were not informed about the launch.
The new officers will enforce by-laws and assist with crime prevention, which will include stop and searches and house searches in conjunction with SAPS.
The event took place at a new operational base for the LEAP officers deployed to Bishop Lavis with state of the art equipment to assist in crime fighting.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the refurbished building was formerly a housing office.
“A CCTV control room will also soon be installed and operational in this facility giving officers live video feed of CCTV cameras in the area.”
He said since the launch of the programme in 2019, a total of 1100 LEAP officers have been deployed at crime hotspots in Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha (Site C), Philippi, Hanover Park, Bishop Lavis, Mfuleni, Harare, Gugulethu, Kraaifontein, Mitchells Plain, Atlantis and Samora Machel.
Western Cape Minister for Community Safety, Reagen Allen said the LEAP program is turning the tide against crime in some of these communities.
“The fourth quarter crime statistics of the 2021/22 financial year bears testament to the importance, need and effectiveness of LEAP,” he says.
“For many years, Nyanga was the murder capital of the country, but since LEAP’s deployment and intervention, it is no longer the case.
“The area of Gugulethu was a regular on the list of top 30 murder stations across the country, but due to LEAP’s intervention, it is no longer there.
“These, along with other successes are directly linked to the strategic deployment of LEAP officers.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za