The City of Cape Town’s Strategic Surveillance Unit (SSU) has been instrumental in the recovery of four illegal firearms and ammunition in the last four weeks.
Metro Police officers responded and recovered a firearm and 17 rounds of ammunition. They also arrested one suspect.
"We continue to invest heavily in CCTV infrastructure because it serves as a force multiplier and helps direct resources to crimes in progress, as highlighted by the recent arrests," said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, JP Smith.
"The Kewtown installations happened just more than a year ago, courtesy of ward allocation funding, and these successes prove that it was a worthwhile investment.
‘More ward councillors are coming forward with requests to have a CCTV presence in their areas and I thank them for their contribution to this aspect of our policing.
"It’s also worth noting that the South African Police Service responded in three of the four cases and this underscores the importance of inter-agency cooperation in the fight against crime,’
Last Tuesday at 12.25am, CCTV operators spotted and monitored a suspect who was in possession of a firearm in Kewtown. The SAPS were informed and managed to arrest the suspect and recover the firearm.
On Friday, August 31 at 22.37pm, a CCTV operator noticed a man carrying a firearm and pointing it at a group of people on a street corner in Kewtown. The SAPS found one male in possession of the firearm at a nearby house.
He was arrested for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. A second suspect was searched but didn’t have anything on him.
On August 19 at 1.30am, camera operators spotted three males next to a block of flats in Hanover Park – two of whom were handling a firearm.
The SAPS was alerted and later confirmed the arrest of two suspects, and the recovery of a 9mm firearm and six rounds of ammunition.
One of the suspects was charged for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, while the second was charged for possession of ammunition.
On August 10 at 1.30pm, operators noticed a group of men loitering in Athlone. One of them was then spotted moving to a nearby open field and dropping a blue plastic bag next to a canal in 9th Avenue.
Other enforcement successes of the past week:
The Metro Police Department arrested 27 suspects on a range of charges including drug possession; possession of illegal firearm and ammunition; and possession of a stolen vehicle.
During an operation in Kraaifontein on Saturday, officers arrested three suspects aged 22, 37 and 46 for possession of dagga, a zip gun and two rounds of ammunition.
In Green Point on Thursday, officers recovered a hijacked vehicle after a high-speed chase. The driver refused to stop when instructed and sped away.
Officers gave chase and the driver lost control and collided with a wall. One of the suspects broke his leg when he fell in an attempt to run away.
It was later found that the car had been hijacked in Bellville. The trio was arrested for the possession of a hijacked vehicle, reckless and negligent driving, and malicious damage to property.