Parliament has heard that police only met 50-percent of their target to recover lost or stolen firearms.
This came out during an appearance of the police’s top brass before Parliament’s Police Committee to discuss the department’s performance in the four quarters of the previous financial year. According to the Head of Strategic Management, Major General Leon Rabie, a target of 4 200 was set, but only two thousand firearms were recovered.
On the processing of firearm licenses, he says the SAPS also didn’t reach 50 percent of the target.
“The finalisation of applications for new firearm licenses was at its lowest, in quarter 4, in comparison with the previous quarters and declined from 44, 19%, in quarter 3 to 21. 63%, in quarter 4, which is significantly lower than the anticipated 90% against a set increased turnaround time of 120 working days,” says Rabie.
Police stations not equipped to store surrendered weapons:
