Bishop Lavis residents blame SAPS for rising murder rate

Crime fighters in Bishop Lavis believe the decision of the Western Cape SAPS Management to make personnel changes, is one of the reasons for an increase in murders in the area.

In the latest crime statistics, between October and December, the City of Cape Town accounted for 12 of the top 30 stations for murder in the country. This includes Mfuleni, Delft, Kraaifontein, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Mitchells Plain, Harare, Khayelitsha, Philippi East, Lwandle, Kleinvlei and Bishop Lavis.

Murder cases in Bishop Lavis during that time increased by 18 counts to 44 cases, compared to the same period in the previous year. As such, the region ranked as the 18th most dangerous precinct in South Africa for murder.

The Bishop Lavis Crime Prevention Forum (BLCPF) has expressed deep concern about this, further noting that 35 of those cases were gang-related.

“We further regrettably take note that the Bishop Lavis Precinct recorded the highest gang-related murders in the Western Cape for this period,” said Graham Lindhorst, BLCPF spokesperson.

BLCPF spokesperson Graham Lindhorst attributed the surge in killings to personnel changes at the local police station.

According to the BLCPF, the rise in crime coincides with the transfer of two senior and “very decorated” Visible Policing (Vispol) colonels from Bishop Lavis SAPS. Lindhorst said this decision was taken without consultation or further communication with the relevant stakeholders. He said there was no discussion on what the impact of this will be on precinct.

“At that stage, we enquired, without any success, what the thinking was behind transferring these officers and what was put in place to mitigate any eventuality.”

Bishop Lavis is also among the seven Western Cape precincts that ranked in the country’s top 30 for attempted murder. It ranked fourth in the province and 21^st in the country.

Notably, during the period in review, Bishop Lavis was identified as the only region in the country where a total of seven murder victims were recorded in one incident. This was in a gang-related shooting in October last year.

With the latest crime stats in mind, Lindhorst said it is clear that “no thought” went into the Western Cape SAPS management’s decision to make the transfer. The BLCPF is now calling for those officers to be brought back to the precinct.

“We continue to condemn this action from WC SAPS Management, who seems to have no regard for the lives of the working class, and in particular those in coloured communities. We reiterate our call for the two colonels to be brought back or for SAPS Management to engage the community in order to outline what is put in place to mitigate the vacuum brought about by the transfer,” said Lindhorst.