THE Western Cape legislature supports the reinstatement of specialised police drug and gang units.

"Many of the communities I have visited that are plagued by gang violence and drug-fuelled crimes have all cried out for the re-establishment of specialised units," safety MEC Dan Plato said yesterday.

The Western Cape cabinet echoes this sentiment.

"I will now be writing to Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa to inform him that specialised units have been identified as a formal policing need and priority for Western Cape, for him to take into account, as contemplated by the Constitution."

Plato said the province was being particularly hard hit by drugs and gang activity and had the highest number of drug-related crimes in South Africa.

About 70588 drug-related crimes were reported in 2010-11, more than half the total number nationally.

"At the same time, gang violence is rife in Western Cape and has recently spread to areas that are not traditionally associated with gang activity," Plato said.

"Serious interventions are needed to drastically reduce drug and gang-related crime," he said.

Plato said specialised policing units had proved an effective strategy because they had dedicated teams working solely on specific crime categories.

Such units had specialist skills and the expertise needed to investigate, detect, arrest and ensure successful convictions.