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      The release of the fourth quarter crime statistics has once again highlighted the under-resourcing and under-deployment of SAPS in the Western Cape. The province recorded a 11.7% increase in contact crimes, 16.2% increase in sexual offences, and a 11.4% increase in contact-related crimes in comparison to the same period in 2021.

It is these figures that further prove our case that SAPS in the Western Capes remains under-resourced and insufficiently capacitated to deal with the crime that has become endemic to our communities.

Recently, it was revealed that over the past five financial years around 71% of our province's police stations have experienced a decrease of officers allocated. This means there are 804 fewer police officers situated at our stations, which is the first point of contact for members of our community. And it is here where we see the worrying correlation arise:

• Lingelethu West, where the deployment allocation fell from 139 to 124, experienced an increase of 40% in murders.
• Mitchells Plain, where the deployment allocation fell from 464 to 455, experienced an increase of 8.6% in contact crimes.
• Cape Town Central, where the deployment allocations fell from 525 to 425, experienced an increase of 54.2% in community-reported serious crimes.

These examples also speak to other entrenched issues that we face in the Western Cape:

• The national government still refuses to identify a dedicated firearm destruction site in the province, which inhibits the efficient and timeous removal of illegal firearms in our communities.
• As outline in the Police Needs and Priorities (PNP) report, the Civilian Secretariat revealed in 2019 that police trainees felt that they lacked practical and community experience. It is unknown whether the provincial government's recommendations were adopted into the programme.
• Furthermore, more than half of detective commanders have not finished their required training.

This is why the Western Cape Government is going above and beyond its mandate. The LEAP programme has cost almost R1.2 billion thus far and the province is expected to contribute a further R1.1 billion over the current medium-term economic framework (MTEF) period. In conjunction with the preventative measures outlined in the Safety Plan, we know that we are doing our best to keep our communities safe.

We call on the national government to seriously reconsider the policing model and how crime is fought. Our communities deserve to live a quality life of dignity and safety.

Issued by Gillion Bosman, MPP - DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Community Safety