Robbers escape with guns and ammunition in Mill Park heist

Five armed men carried out a brazen late-night robbery at a Nelson Mandela Bay security company on Monday, stealing more than R166,000 worth of goods, including an arsenal of firearms and ammunition.

During the frightening ordeal, which occurred in Mill Park just before midnight, three staff members were locked in the safe room.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said five masked and heavily armed men barged into the premises on Mill Park Drive, demanding access to the control room.

“They then proceeded to gain access to the firearm safe and took 13 9mm pistols, nine magazines and 135 rounds of ammunition,” Beetge said.

“They also took one laptop and five cellphones, before locking the three employees in the safe room and fleeing the premises in a white VW Polo.”

He said the robbers were still at large, and that a case of business robbery was under investigation.

In CCTV footage of the robbery, seen by The Herald, the staff are seated at their desks before the men storm the premises and whisk them out of view.

Gun Free SA director Adele Kirsten said the attack was worrying, and a “powerful reminder for all of us about the link between the legal and the illegal trade”.

“Criminals target legal stocks, whether it’s a police station, a gun dealer or a private home, because they know that’s where they can get weapons.

“Targeting a security company means we’re talking about quantity.

“But security companies, under the Firearms Control Act, are allowed to have restricted firearms, so this is particularly worrying. It [appears to be] an organised crime.”

Kirsten said retrieving the weapons would require intelligence-driven policing.

“This is why Gun Free SA continues to call for the establishment of specialist firearm units and dedicated police officers who have the skills and resources to go after these criminals and to recover these guns and to then destroy them.” Crime expert Guy Lamb said armed groups typically targeted businesses where they could get a high-value return on the items there.

Lamb said such groups knew business owners might have access to weapons.

“We’ve even seen armed groups target police stations, particularly the smaller ones and ones in rural areas, with fewer staff on shift.”

Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said the incident underscored the imperative for stringent measures to be implemented to safeguard weapons.

“These armaments frequently end up in the wrong hands,” he said.

“Security firms must diligently implement robust protocols to secure them.

“The audacity and fearlessness exhibited by these thieves, as evidenced in the video, are deeply concerning.”