CAPE TOWN - South African Police Service (SAPS) officers have arrested five suspects and confiscated three illegal firearms in Cape Town, the Western Cape SAPS said on Sunday.
Efforts to reduce the number of unlicensed firearms in the province proved successful during SAPS crime combating initiatives in the early hours of Sunday morning, Lt-Col Andrè Traut said.
Members of the public order policing unit spotted a suspicious vehicle in Nyanga shortly after midnight. The vehicle was searched and an unlicensed 9mm firearm was discovered. A 48-year-old man was arrested and detained.
Also in Nyanga, SAPS officers responded to an attempted murder in Ngulube Street. The suspects who fled the scene were described by eyewitnesses and a search of the area led to the arrest of three men, aged between 36 and 39, in Browns Farm.
The firearm allegedly used by the suspects, a 9mm pistol, was found in in their silver Toyota Corolla. They were arrested on charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
In Bishop Lavis at around 2am, a police patrol noticed a suspect who attempted to flee when he became aware of the police presence. Following a brief pursuit, the 28-year-old suspect with links to a local gang was apprehended in possession of 9mm Uzzi automatic firearm.
All five suspects were expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate's Court soon.
"Serious and violent crimes and the possession of unlicensed firearms are top priorities for the Western Cape police and we will continue with our crime fighting initiatives and operations to disarm criminals in this province," Traut said.