Durban — KwaZulu-Natal police say that a spike in the use of gas guns during robberies in the province can only be determined after a thorough crime analysis of where gas guns have been used.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda was responding after Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Business CEO Melanie Veness said that a recent engagement with their SAPS area commissioner revealed that there has been a spike in the number of business robberies in town and in crime in general.
Netshiunda said: “The issue of whether there is a spike or not can only be determined after a thorough crime analysis of where gas guns have been used. The number of gas guns recovered would therefore give a picture to that effect. Such a conclusion can only be made known through crime statistics which get released quarterly by the minister of police.”
Veness said she had an engagement with their area commissioner earlier last week and she advised that the police are having a challenge with the number of gas guns being used to commit robberies.
Veness said the guns look and feel exactly like real weapons but are more easily available and cheaper to purchase – you can buy them over the counter at most malls. More and more young people are being caught using them to commit crimes, they have been emboldened by having a gas gun.
“Unfortunately, there is very little that the police can do legally when people are caught with gas guns, because they’re not actually weapons, and this is frustrating their efforts to curb crime,” Veness said.
“SAPS is appealing to the business community, particularly to mall management and shop owners, to please assist in removing the easy access to gas guns.”
Veness said that the SAPS area commissioner also indicated that criminals tend to avoid premises that are properly covered by CCTV and they do know whether cameras are recording or not, so dummy cameras will unfortunately not do the job. CCTV footage also helps SAPS to identify, arrest and charge perpetrators.
“If you are robbed, please don’t touch anything and please wait for the fingerprint officers to collect fingerprints before carrying on trading. There is often a wait for fingerprint officers to arrive, which I know is frustrating, but we do need to catch these criminals,” Veness advised.
“If you are robbed and have been waiting for some time for fingerprints to be taken, please feel welcome to give us a ring and we’ll try and get some assistance for you as soon as possible.”
Mi7 National Group director Colin David said that recently they had not come across or apprehended anyone using a gas gun as a weapon, but they have learnt that they are being used.
“In the past we have detained people using these guns,” David said.
He advised people to be vigilant, especially since you cannot tell the difference between a gas gun and a real one. They need to think of their lives first.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Police Minister Bheki Cele presented the quarterly crime statistics, reflecting on crimes reported and detected by SAPS from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023.
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