Cape Town: CCTV operators instrumental busts firearm. The city enforcement agencies recovered at least 10 firearms in the past week. They recorded five incidents that happened in span of 24 hours last weekend.
Reportedly, the CCTV operators who got the week off to an impressive start, detected two incidents in Athlone on the same day. It was a blue Monday, on 13th for the suspects in Athlone last week. A CCTV operator spotted two persons near the canal in Bokmakierie who brandished a firearm at 7:00 a.m.
The Metro Police Officers responded and recovered an illegal firearm and also detained two suspects, aged 20 and 23 at Athlone South African Police Service (SAPS). However, on the same day in same area, a CCTV operator spotted a group of males. Out of which one of them was in possession of firearm.
SAPS responded to the incident and apprehended a suspect aged 43 and recovered an illegal firearm. On the same day in afternoon, the metro police officers conducted patrol near the shooting range along Military Road in the CBD and came across an abandoned box in the bushes which contained 85 rounds of ammunition for various calibre weapons.
Furthermore, the Law Enforcement counterparts recovered eight firearms in the last week that resulted in seven arrests. SAPS recovered three firearms in Hanover Park, two in Gugulethu and one each in Khayelitsha, Fish Hoek and Mitchell’s Plain. LEAP officers also arrested a suspect for the possession of 13 rounds of ammunition in Elsies River on Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that these confiscations are bittersweet. Whereas, it showed the benefits of the continued investment in technology as well as visible and responsive policing. It was a stark reminder of how deeply rooted gun violence is in the city.
According to Smith, the daily confiscations should not be discounted because it potentially means loss of fewer lives, until firearm supply chains are dismantled and feels like a case of two steps forward and three steps back.
“I have called on SAPS to institute shutdowns of gang areas, which the City of Cape Town will support with as many resources as possible. So that they can make meaningful dents in the firearm and narcotics trades in these communities,” concluded JP Smith.