Johannesburg – The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng on Tuesday said in just six weeks it has recovered more than 900 illegal guns and thousands of bullets.
Provincial Commissioner of Police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela commended law enforcement members on the latest operational successes achieved across the province.
Police in Gauteng in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, Business Against Crime South Africa’s “Eyes and Ears (E2) Initiative” partners, and other crime-fighting stakeholders have recovered “over 900 unlicensed firearms and nearly 10 000 rounds of ammunition over six weeks”.
The illegal guns and ammunition were recovered between 15 May to 26 June 2023.
SAPS said at least 370 suspects were arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
These operational successes, among other recoveries, are the result of SAPS Gauteng’s multi-disciplinary crime-fighting efforts that include high-density operations, routine crime prevention patrols, random stop-and-searches, and vehicle checkpoints.
Furthermore, unlicensed firearms and ammunition are also recovered through community tip-offs.
“I would like to thank our members and all our crime-fighting partners for consistently achieving these operational successes,” said Lt Gen Mawela.
“Let’s continue to remain fierce in our fight against crime towards a safer and secure province for all.”
All the recovered firearms will be subjected to a ballistic test to determine whether they can be linked to other serious crimes committed.
