The confiscations also included more than 200 replica firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

A review of the Law Enforcement and Metro Police enforcement statistics between 1 July 2021 and June 2022 shows that officers recovered 206 firearms, 239 imitation or replica firearms, and 2 260 rounds of ammunition.

‘We have seen a marked increase in the number of firearms taken off the streets by our staff since the introduction of LEAP in some of our most crime-plagued policing precincts. These successes are not only due to the increased resources on the ground, but also growing trust from communities who, more and more, are sharing tip offs and other relevant information that makes these confiscations possible. It is our firm belief that, as the City continues to expand its safety and security arsenal, we will see even more dangerous weapons taken off our streets, and perpetrators brought to book.

‘However, as we have indicated many times before, arrests and confiscations are only as useful as the prosecution of suspects – an area that the City has no control over. What we have introduced over the past few years is a system of watching briefs over cases that stemmed from City enforcement arrests, to monitor the outcomes and make representations if need be,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.

The City is currently conducting watching briefs in just over 480 cases reported at various police stations between 1 January 2021 and June 2022.

The cases relate to successes by Law Enforcement and Metro Police.

During the first six months of this year, the top five police stations with the highest number of firearm and ammunition cases registered were:

Philippi (25)

Kraaifontein (24)

Delft (24)

Nyanga (23)

Mfuleni (21)

‘The watching briefs are a critical undertaking for the Safety and Security Directorate, because it helps us keep tabs on the status of cases, but also how those matters are concluded. It also gives staff an opportunity to be aware of how the case unfolded once they handed the arrest docket over to SAPS for further investigation, and serves as motivation to get back out on the streets and continue doing the very good work that the statistics illuminate.

‘On behalf of the Portfolio Committee, I applaud the staff for their hard work and commitment to public safety and putting themselves in harm’s way to remove these dangerous weapons from our streets. Of course, the increased use of replica firearms is of concern – while they may not be able to cause serious injury, it does not lessen the trauma for a victim of crime,’ said the Chairperson of the City’s Safety and Security Portfolio Committee, Councillor Mzwakhe Nqavashe.

Source: City Of Cape Town