Over 9 000 arrests made in Western Cape's fight against gang violence
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola hails the war on gang arrests in Western Cape.
Image: Siyabulela Duda/GCIS
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has acknowledged the commendable efforts of Western Cape police in combating gang violence on the Cape Flats.
According to figures and statistics shared on Sunday, police claimed that since April they have taken 722 gangsters into custody.
Masemola said that over 980 cops are sent to the frontline in hotspot areas like Mitchells Plain, Mfuleni, Delft, Bishop Lavis, Tafelsig, Muizenberg, Grassy Park and Manenberg daily to combat crime.
In the statement, Masemola explained that since April 1 to date, more than 9 000 officers who serve at 62 police stations have been backed up by 800 police officers. The officers deployed by the SAPS are from outside the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town with an additional 182 from Head Office.
The largest number of arrests during this period were for those who were found to be in possession of drugs. An encouraging 54 947 suspects were arrested for this crime.
In a breakdown of the arrests, 2 296 were for drug dealing, 96 for gang-related murders, 60 for gang-related attempted murders.
They added that 1 565 guns were seized and 39 371 rounds of ammunition were confiscated.
General Fannie Masemola said: “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 prioritise 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 a solid partnerships to end ongoing killings.”