DURBAN - A SECURITY expert says the sudden rise in the number of killings and drive-by shootings in KwaZulu-Natal reflects the easy access to guns and bullets, and points to the poor state of the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit.
In recent days both Durban and Pietermaritzburg have seen a spate of shootings which vary from gang rivalry to apparent hits by lone gunmen. On Friday, a police officer was shot dead at a Hillcrest restaurant in an apparent hit while there has been a series of shootings in Imbali township, Pietermaritzburg, and in Chatsworth, Durban.
KZN violence monitor Mary de Haas said the rise in killings did not come as a surprise, and pointed to an under-resourced police force, which needed specialised skills and adequate financing to ensure law and order.
“One of the glaring indicators of police inadequacy is the growth of the private security industry, because it emerged from a realisation that the police were simply unable to do their work properly,” said De Haas.
She raised concern over whether the private security industry was properly regulated, pointing to the heavy weaponry used by some companies.
She also expressed concern about the easy access to bullets, saying a regular audit of both police armouries and gun shops needed to be undertaken.
“We have heard of stashes of guns and bullets getting lost in some police stations in Durban and Pietermaritzburg but the worrying thing is that there does not seem to be any form of accountability for station commissioners,” De Haas lamented.
She noted that there had been no disclosure about the guns that went missing during the July riots.
“The most important point to stress here is that the Crime Intelligence Unit exists only by name, otherwise we would not be witnessing the violent crimes to the level that we are seeing,” the violence monitor continued.
She said both the private security and taxi industries needed focused attention, as there were a lot of guns circulating in both of them.
She said the province was already starting to resemble a war zone because of the high number of guns that were in circulation, without any proof of whether they were legal or not.
A source within the security industry, who declined to be named, said the rise in incidents of violence simply showed the weakness of the police and the rise in the security industry.
“There was a time when the police were strong and had strong networks, but that period is long gone. The private security industry is … far above the police,” said the source.
He said the power of the private security industry was also illustrated by the fact that in some cases police would insist on being accompanied by private security when visiting a crime scene.
According to the source, hitmen would continue to thrive because there was a need for them. He listed a number of towns in which hit men could be found, including KwaMaphumulo, Stanger, Kranskop, Pietermaritzburg, Tugela Ferry, and on the South Coast.
“Hitmen in KZN are produced on a regular basis mainly because there continues to be a high demand for their services,” said the source.
MOST READ: