LEAP officers have removed over 500 illegal firearms from the streets: WC Safety MEC
Western Cape Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagan Allen said the confiscation of illegal firearms is critical because shootings are the highest cause of murders in the province.
Picture: Pixabay.com
CAPE TOWN - Western Cape Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagan Allen says over the past four years, their Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers have removed more than 500 illegal firearms from the streets.
LEAP officers were introduced in 2020 as part of the provincial government's safety plan.
They are specifically deployed to crime hotspots across Cape Town.
ALSO READ: Gunfree SA calls on govt help reduce demand for illegal firearms in the streets
Allen said since inception, the officers have confiscated 564 firearms and arrested over 28,000 people for various offences.
He said the confiscation of illegal firearms is critical because shootings are the highest cause of murders in the province.
"LEAP is focused on enforcing law and order, so that residents who are plagued by high rates of crime can be freed from this devastating reality. Furthermore, it serves as a force multiplier to the South African Police Service (SAPS), to strengthen their hand in the fight against crime, while also working hand-in-hand with other City of Cape Town law enforcement agencies."