Lost cops’ firearms used in crime

Citizen reporter

Civil organisation AfriForum yesterday said information received from Police Minister Fikile Mbalula indicated that the police lost 7 829 firearms between 2009 and 2014 and that some of these firearms were used in violent and serious crimes.

These figures do not include firearms that police officers should have kept in safekeeping and as evidence, but only reflect those in the police’s asset register.

AfriForum said it had requested the former figures, but these were not provided.

According to Ian Cameron, AfriForum’s head of community safety, it is consulting with its legal team about further steps that could be taken to acquire this information, as the reasons provided for the withholding thereof are insufficient.

The High Court in Pretoria referred an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act number 2 of 2000) that AfriForum brought against the police, back to SA Police Service in May 2017.

The application requested that the Saps disclose the number of state-registered firearms that had been stolen, lost or recovered between 2009 and 2014, according to the police’s asset register, as well as the central firearms register.

This was in the public interest.