NATIONAL NEWS - The National Police Commissioner General, Fannie Masemola, says the Western Cape police remain relentless in their pursuit to detect, dismantle and dislodge gang-related activity in hotspot areas across the province.
With additional police officers deployed to the City of Cape Town, officers on the ground working with other law enforcement agencies and key stakeholders have made encouraging inroads to disrupt organised gang-related activity.
“From 1 April to date, more than 980 officers are deployed to various hotspots for gang activities on a daily basis, this is inclusive of 800 police officers from both the SAPS and the City of Cape Town and an additional 182 from head office.
“This is over and above the more than 9 000 officers who serve at 62 police stations within the City of Cape Town policing precinct,” Masemola said.
He said the collaboration has ultimately resulted in a number of successes including the arrest of 722 gangsters from various hotspot areas like Mitchell’s Plain, Mfuleni, Delft, Bishop Lavis, Tafelsig, Muizenberg, GrassyPark and Manenberg, among others.
“The largest number of arrests during this period were for those who were found to be in possession of drugs. It is encouraging to note that a staggering 54 947 suspects were arrested for this crime,” he said.
The following notable arrests and confiscations were made from 01 April 2025 to date:
- Dealing in drugs: 2 296
- Gang related murders: 96
- Gang related attempted murders: 60
- Firearms seized: 1 565
- Rounds of ammunition: 39 371
“We have since 2021 deployed 2408 newly trained officers to various units and stations across the Western Cape to bolster our fight against crime and we will continue to prioritize and capacitate the Western Cape province.
“The support and collaboration of the community play a major role in ensuring that we put an end to gang violence. Through Community Policing Forums (CPF) and other safety and security structures, the SAPS remains committed to forging solid partnerships to end ongoing killings,” General Masemola said. – SAnews.gov.za
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