146 Firearms seized during operations

KwaZulu-Natal police have seized 146 firearms and a total of 1219 rounds of ammunition during various operations conducted last month. A total of 140 suspects were arrested for being in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. These arrests are as a result of operations conducted as from 1 July 2019 until 31 July 2019, in various parts of the province.

Police focused their operations in areas where inter group conflict, stock theft and taxi violence are prevalent. Much of the information provided to police is from ordinary citizens who are concerned about crime and we urge citizens to continue reporting information with regards to illegal firearms to Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

29 pistols, five shotguns, nine rifles and three homemade firearms were recovered in these operations. All the recovered firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to establish if they were used in any other crimes in the province. A concerted effort is being made by police to step up operations aimed at ridding our communities of illegal firearms.

The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula, commended various Cluster Commanders in the province for their contributions to eradicate the proliferation of illegal firearms in the province. “I have noted the steady rate in which firearms are being seized in this province and I am encouraged as this will eventually contribute to improving the crime situation. We need to maintain this performance and ensure that criminals are disarmed, as firearms do contribute to many violent crimes that are prevalent in society,” he said.