Cape Town - Police are looking for a male suspect who evaded arrest on Saturday, during a crime prevention operation in Khayelitsha.
The suspect fled on foot when he was flagged down by metro officers conducting a crime prevention patrol in Khayelitsha, for driving while using his cellphone, on the corner of Govan Mbeki and Oscar Mpheta streets.
On searching the suspect’s car, police discovered a bag containing an automatic R5-rifle and 67 rounds of ammunition on the back seat.
According to the City’s Safety and Security department, the firearm and ammunition were booked in at Harare SAPS for investigation, which will include ballistic and fingerprint tests.
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said: “The illegal possession of any firearm is a serious offence, even more so, an automatic rifle with so much ammunition. The rifle could have been used in criminal activity or earmarked to be used in a violent crime.”
“Our officers are doing their part under difficult circumstances. These arrests are the first step for the SAPS to do a proper investigation,” said Smith.
In separate incidents, the City of Cape Town Metro Police Department and Traffic Service officers issued 56 503 fines during crime prevention patrols over the past week.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Government’s Health Emergency Medical Services has seen “a pleasing decline” in the number of incidents called in during the weekend.
Spokesperson Deanna Bessick said: “The Western Cape Government’s Health Emergency Medical Services responded to 3 542 incidents in the Western Cape at the weekend. Last week, EMS responded to 4 227 incidents in the Western Cape. Of these, 74 were recorded in the red zone areas and 82 were transport-related incidents. Most patients were transported to the Tygerberg, Worcester, and George hospitals.”
Cape Argus