The proliferation of firearms in KZN has been of extreme concern to the communities, hence several operations were planned and executed with the objective of recovering unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

More than six thousand firearms that were recovered by the SAPS during various operations and firearms that were handed in, in terms of the Firearm Control Act were destroyed on Tuesday at a company in Isipingo. These firearms had first gone through the entire judicial processes and had been ballistically tested.

This year, several crime prevention operations were launched resulting in the recovery of several thousands of firearms through strategies such as cordon and searches, roadblocks and vehicle check points. Crime Intelligence played a prominent role in gathering intelligence on the presence of illegal firearms.

“The aim and objective of the current Firearm Control Act is geared towards responsible firearm use and ownership. This clearly indicates the commitment and dedication of our police officers to ensure a safe and secure environment,” said SAPS provincial spokesperson, Senior Superintendent P Radebe.

“The negligent loss and theft of firearms continues to occur and I urge licensed firearm holders to ensure the safety of firearms. When people are not carrying their firearms, they should store it in a safe so that children are not allowed easy access to these weapons,” said MEC of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Bheki Cele.

The main object of using this method of destruction was to ensure that firearms are never circulated in the community. The process of destruction will continue at regular intervals as soon as the judicial process has been completed.

“To ensure that the process is fast tracked we have commenced with a number of programmes to ensure that etching and ballistics processes are provided with the necessary capacity,” concluded Radebe.

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