CAPE TOWN: A total of 1 574 rounds of live ammunition have been removed from the streets of Cape Town, after an anonymous tip-off.
This comes along with the success of members attached to the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), during the past week.
MEC of Community Safety in the Western Cape Albert Fritz welcomed the report and said LEAP officers also managed to recover eight firearms, two rifles, and three suppressors.
Fritz said the tip-off was received by officers patrolling in the Belhar area and they were given a location where firearms and ammunition were being hidden for gangs.
Officers proceeded to the location and began searching.
Officers discovered a blue bag containing firearms and a black box containing ammunition.
The ammunition and firearms were taken to Belhar Police Station for processing.
“We are always very happy when officers are able to take an illegal gun off of the streets.
“We know what amount of misery that even a single gun can cause in our communities.
“Here, we have a situation where eight firearms and two rifles, as well as more than 1 500 rounds of live ammunition, were all taken off of the street.
“This is incredibly good work by LEAP officers.
“I want to thank them for following up on the tip-off and making this possible.
“They have been working to build the trust of community members, so that community members feel that they are able to pass on valuable information, which, as we know, is dangerous to do.
“So I want to thank the LEAP teams for their work in this regard,” Fritz said.
The report stated that LEAP officers also searched 6 653 persons, 220 house searches were conducted, and 540 vehicles were searched during 20 roadblocks.
Officers also confiscated an assortment of dangerous weapons, large quantities of mandrax, crystal meth, dagga, heroin, and two units of whoonga.
Fritz said the purpose of the LEAP is to enhance visible policing and the figures see it doing just that.
He said the ever-present law enforcement in communities shows they are on the right track in ensuring the safety of every member of the community.
“Of course, more must be done. And we will do more to make sure our communities are safe.
“We saw the importance of anonymous tip-offs, and I want to take the opportunity to thank the community members who gave the tip-offs, which made the discovery of the arms cache in Belhar possible.
“In the same breath, I want to again appeal to community members to continue to do so; continue giving us the information so that we can act to ensure that we rid our streets of dangerous weapons and drugs,” Fritz added.
IOL