CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town’s enforcement services have recovered 50 firearms and even more imitation and zip guns from the streets in the past three and a half months.
The latest recovery came at the weekend when members attached to the metro police recovered a firearm in Bonteheuwel on Sunday morning after shots were fired in the area.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said officers responded after hearing gunfire just before 1am.
He said they noticed a silver Toyota Tazz speeding away but managed to pull over the vehicle along Jakkalsvlei Road.
A Z88 9mm pistol was found under the driver’s seat. Three suspects in their 30s were arrested and detained at the Bishop Lavis police station for possession of an illegal firearm and discharging of a firearm in a municipal area.
“Our enforcement staff are making regular firearm confiscations, which is testament to the proliferation of firearms on our streets.
“However, the rate of confiscations of imitation firearms and zip guns also requires interrogation.
“One possible explanation is that the continued confiscation of illegal firearms by metro police and Law Enforcement, as well as the South African Police Service, has led to criminals struggling to obtain access to illegal firearms and resorting to making their own zip guns or using imitation firearms,” Smith said.
Between July 1 and October 12, metro police confiscated 13 firearms, 10 imitation firearms and three zip guns.
Smith said that during the same period, officers attached to the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) confiscated 38 firearms, 38 imitation firearms and three zip guns.
In the past week, enforcement agencies made 280 arrests.
Metro police arrested 130 suspects and issued 3 027 fines, while Law Enforcement arrested 80 suspects and issued 2 462 fines. The Traffic Service arrested 50 suspects, 36 of whom were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. It also impounded 124 vehicles, confiscated 154 cellphones and issued 59 703 fines.
IOL