New plan to tackle gang violence in WC not necessary - CoCT's JP Smith

CAPE TOWN - City of Cape Town Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, said that a new plan to tackle gang violence in the Western Cape was not necessary.

Smith joined Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and MEC for police oversight and community safety, Anroux Marais, at the Western Cape provincial parliament on Friday.

The officials signed a memorandum requesting national government to allow municipal police officers to investigate crime in the province. 

Smith said that national government should allow municipal police to assist with its current plan to curb gang violence in the province.

Statistics show that more than 800 people have been killed in the Western Cape due to gang violence in the past year, among them 300 children murdered.

"All we're saying is make the existing systems that should be working, work. The process is not failing because there's not a new plan or something additional being done. It's failing because what should be happening is not happening." 

Smith said that the key to curbing gang violence is investigations, which lead to a higher conviction rate for suspects accused of gang-related crime.