Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s metro officers have taken two suspects into custody following patrols in Manenberg and Heideveld.
The City said: “Metro police officers recovered four firearms in Manenberg and Heideveld. Officers on patrol in Manenberg noticed a male behaving in a suspicious manner and sought permission to conduct a search.
“They found him in possession of a .38 Special revolver with the serial number filed off, and five rounds of ammunition.
“Two hours later, in Heideveld, officers received a tip-off about illegal firearms being kept at a house in the area. As they arrived at the address, a man standing at the gate ran into the house, with officers in pursuit. They found him hiding in a bedroom and requested permission to search the premises,” the City said.
Two suspects aged 23 and 31 have been taken into custody.
It is alleged the 23-year-old had been in possession of two imitation firearms hidden in the toilet ceiling, and a loaded zip gun that was in a cupboard. He has since been arrested for possession of an imitation firearm and a prohibited firearm.
The Western Cape’s Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (Leap) officers have recovered three firearms in the past week, following the arrests of 138 people.
The bulk of Leap’s arrests were for possession of drugs with 117 people being arrested in the province.
Community Safety MEC, Reagen Allen said: “While many were celebrating or commemorating the various religious rituals, our Leap officers were at hand to ensure law and order, and these arrests pay testament to their continued efforts to make our streets safer.
“We have committed to being relentless in our pursuit of safer and dignified environments, where our residents do not have to live in fear. As the Western Cape government and through our safety plan, our goal is clear, and that is to reduce the murder rate by 50% by 2029. This is critical as we want our residents to live in dignity and without fear,” Allen said.
