JP Smith: Delft, Nyanga and Mitchells Plain saw a drop in crime

While the latest quarterly crime statistics have shown an overall decrease in crime in the country, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith says a number of gains have also been made at Cape Town’s crime hotspots.

Not only has serious crime dropped in areas like Delft, Nyanga and Mitchells Plain, but crimes dependent on police action like the recovery of contraband, narcotics and illegal firearms have increased.

Smith says this is a feather in the cap of the officers who do daily patrols in some of the City’s most crime-ravaged areas, recovering drugs, firearms and other illicit goods.

“The Philippi policing precinct, which includes Hanover Park, had the highest number of firearms recovered (60), with Manenberg in 3rd (54). These are two of the areas benefiting from the City’s gunshot detection technology rollout.”

Another positive is that Manenberg, Phillipi and Hanover Park are no longer part of the Top 30 list of policing precincts in the country with the highest number of murders.

Smith says Philippi East however remains a concern due to the current rate of murders and car-jacking incidents. The increase in robberies in Cape Town Central and Bishop Lavis is also cause for concern.

Cape Town Central have however seen decreases in property-related crime, theft out of motor vehicle and other categories of theft.

“These statistics will guide future interventions and the City will work closely with SAPS and the Western Cape Government to determine how our efforts need to be augmented.”

Smith says the directorate reconfigured the deployment of LEAP officers this year, in consultation with the South African Police Service. This was done based on murder statistics, operational imperatives, and the past twelve quarterly crime stats releases.

Delft, Khayelitsha, Phillipi East, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain and Gugulethu have received increased deployments for the six-month trial period. Meanwhile, a 120-strong Reaction Unit is assisting in areas like Hanover Park, Manenberg, Atlantis, Kraaifontein and Elsies to assist police and the City’s Metro Police Department.

The mayoral committee member says the cooperation agreement signed with SAPS and the Province earlier this year is a positive step in the fight against crime.

” – it is our hope that, as this agreement grows from strength to strength, we will continue to see the results in the crime statistics, and on our streets.”