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Portfolio Committee on Police welcomes swift action in firearm theft case

  • [File image] Recovered firearm
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The Portfolio Committee on Police has welcomed the urgency with which the South African Police Station’s Gauteng Provincial Commissioner dealt with the firearms theft incident at the Norwood Police Station, north of Johannesburg.

The committee applauded the appointment of a new management team at the station and is hopeful that they will assist in getting to the bottom of the matter.

The committee visited the station as part of its two-day oversight visit to Gauteng to assess the province’s plans to fight crime.

About 158 firearms were stolen from the police station last year. Committee chairperson Tina Joemat-Pettersson says it’s difficult to understand how firearms were stolen inside the police station.

“It was very impossible for someone to break into a police station to remove firearms. But we are happy that the Hawks and other law enforcement agencies are investigating. We hope it will be a thorough investigation. They must investigate this matter and we are concerned that there are so many firearms in the country. And we will not be able to fight crime if there are so many illegal firearms.”

SANDF members charged with theft, loss of firearms

12 members of the National Defence Force (SANDF) were charged in 2019, with three counts, including housebreaking, theft and loss of firearms, following a break-in on a military basis in Pretoria.

They appeared in the Swartkop Military court in Pretoria in connection with the theft of R4 automatic rifles at the SANDF’s army base in Lyttelton.

The 12 have were denied bail.

SANDF Spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini says “The 12 members that appeared before the court have been charged with three counts:  housebreaking, theft and the loss of firearms. And the debate we are busy with now is whether they should be kept in custody or be given bail. The investigating officer was very clear that she would not be comfortable with bail being given to the accused until she has completed her investigation due to the complexity of the matter before the court.”

 

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