In response to escalating gang violence, authorities have deployed an additional 100 police officers to hotspot areas, intensifying efforts to curb the surge in criminal activity.
Also read: Cape Flats communities concerned over children joining gangs
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said that the officers were deployed to precincts where there are high murder rates and gang-related crime.
This week, Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais and City of Cape Town Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith convened with provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile to address the recent escalation of gang violence affecting six communities across the city.
According to News24, the discussions included plans for deployments to Grassy Park, Ottery, and Steenberg, exploring the utilisation of provincial and local government resources to increase officer presence in areas grappling with intensified gang violence.
Parts of Cape Town witnessed a surge in shootings over the past weekend.
Even typically unaffected areas like Ottery and Grassy Park saw an increase in shootings.
ShotSpotter, implemented by the City, detects gunfire sounds, helping law enforcement pinpoint the origins of gunshots, especially in gang-violence areas.
ShotSpotter data shows multiple shootings in Lavender Hill, Hanover Park, and Manenberg, with 49 rounds fired in Manenberg before 08:10 in one day.
Marais confirmed support from the Western Cape Government’s LEAP officers and the City of Cape Town’s Metro Police and law enforcement members.
Smith said he had, several months ago, proposed a ‘sustained and targeted series of operations’ in gang violence hotspots, ‘that would effect a 24-hour-a-day lockdown sustained for weeks to dismantle the gang activities and remove firearms and gang members from the communities.’
Marais urged for more transparency in sharing crime data.
‘Crime data is important, and we accept the fact that traditionally, in the past, all crime cases and category information are shared only on a quarterly basis. This does not serve the interests of the communities we are meant to be serving, neither does it assist the police service because as the Western Cape government, we could assist by arranging that additional provincial or municipal resources be redirected to areas most in need,’ she said
‘Operational plans are afoot to quell the violence in affected areas, and SAPS will not relax the efforts until the situation has been neutralised,’ Traut added.
Also read:
Stray bullet claims life of 17-year-old girl amid ongoing gang violence
Picture: Brenton Geach / Gallo