ICD must investigate stolen guns from police

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is concerned by reports of 87 firearms that have been stolen from the Inanda police station in KwaZulu-Natal, allegedly by those who worked at the police station. This incident illustrates a growing trend - last October, it was revealed that 2 944 firearms had been lost or stolen from the SAPS, which is approximately equivalent to three firearms lost or stolen from each station in the country. In 2008, there were 2 507 lost and stolen firearms, compared with 1 923 in 2007. This means that a total of 7 374 SAPS firearms went out on the streets over these three years, possibly into the hands of criminals, and there has been a substantial year-on-year increase over this time period.

The losses of weapons also forced the SAPS to put out a tender in January for some 4000 Beretta pistols, costing roughly R16 million.

So the loss of another 87 weapons is unfortunately a sign that there remains serious challenges in keeping firearms under lock and key. The DA will be asking parliamentary questions to track the progress made in investigating these losses, and whether any criminal cases have been compromised as a result and I will be contacting the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) to conduct a full investigation.

What we have seen over and again is that police officers themselves are either negligent, or directly responsible, for the disappearance of SAPS weapons, and there needs to be a concerted nationwide programme of action to remedy this situation. The single biggest problem seems to be the failure of the SAPS to hold their officers to account. The fact that one of the perpetrators in the latest incident in KwaZulu-Natal was allegedly a police officer is also cause for serious concern.

I will now be asking the ICD to investigate this particular case, and also to conduct audits at all major police stations across South Africa to:

• Establish the full extent of this problem;
• Make recommendations to the SAPS on how to manage and control firearms in the care of the SAPS - weapons that are held in exhibit storage, guns that have been handed in, as well as officers' guns;
• Investigate those police officers found to be involved in the loss or theft of any firearms; and
• Implement serious consequences for any SAPS member who loses his or her firearm.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of police, May 26 2010

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