Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has called for an urgent meeting with Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia to address ongoing delays in expanding the City’s policing powers, arguing that the move is essential to strengthen the fight against gang-related crime in the metro.

The call follows the Acting Minister’s reported public admission that the South African Police Service (SAPS) lacks the resources to defeat gangs operating in the Western Cape.

Hill-Lewis said this acknowledgement makes further delays in granting additional powers to the City’s metro police unjustifiable.

“Minister Cachalia openly admits that SAPS do not have the resources to win the fight against gang crime. It is now impossible for him to delay any further in responding to Cape Town’s proposal for City metro police to help SAPS in investigating gun, gang and drug crimes,” Hill-Lewis said.

He added that draft regulations enabling metro police to investigate gun, gang and drug crimes have already been prepared but has not been signed.

According to the Mayor, City police officers are ready to build prosecution-ready case dockets to improve conviction rates, which currently stand at just 5% in cases involving illegal firearms seized by City officers.

The City reports that its officers remove more than 450 guns from the streets each year, but face challenges due to an under-resourced criminal justice system and limited investigative capacity within SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority.

Hill-Lewis said expanding metro police powers is critical to restoring safety and improving conviction rates in the fight against violent crime.

READ MORE: COCT considers legal action against SAPS over policing powers