VARIOUS police stations and units in the KZN province recently embarked on operations to root out illegal firearms that are in the hands of criminals as part of the Festive Operational Plan from 15 to 22 November.
The operation led to 47 unlicensed firearms being recovered and 1 035 rounds of ammunitions being seized. A total of 46 suspects were arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Operations undertaken included various clusters across the province. Suspects were arrested in possession of unlicensed pistols, shotguns, home-made firearms and rifles.
“We are eagerly making use of all our resources to eradicate any illegal use of unlicensed firearms, thus ensuring our mandate of serving and protecting our communities. Again we would like to stress to all those who possess illegal firearms to surrender them freely, as the full might of the law shall take its course if otherwise found.
“While I wish to congratulate the various units and police stations across the province that have recovered these illegal firearms, we still believe that there are many illegal firearms in circulation. We once again urge the community to come forward should they be aware of any person who is in possession of an illegal firearm,” said Lt Gen Mmamonnye Ngobeni.
All the arrested suspects were charged and appeared in various Magistrates’ Courts across the province.
