<p>​In this financial year, the Safety and Security Directorate has spent R12 million on the expansion of the ShotSpotter gun detection technology to cover a 7 km² radius in Hanover Park and Manenberg. The ShotSpotter system provides:<br><br>• Real-time access to maps of shooting locations and gunshot audio<br>• Actionable intelligence detailing the number of shooters and the number of shots fired<br>• Pinpointing of precise locations for first responders aiding victims, searching for evidence and interviewing witnesses</p><span><p>​​​​​​ShotSpotter assists staff to respond to gun violence incidents. Its use has led to the successful apprehension of suspects and the confiscation of firearms and drugs. The system identifies areas where gun violence is active and assists with the planning of operations as it provides valuable information on prominent times and days when these shootings occur.</p> <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/shot%20spotter1.jpg" alt="" style="width:1004px;" /> </figure>​​</span><span><p>In recent months, the City’s Strategic Surveillance Unit has started using CCTV as an additional intelligence-gathering tool. ShotSpotter provides the coordinates for shooting incidents that are fed into the CCTV system. This in turn allows cameras in the vicinity to zero in on the scene.</p><p>‘There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of shooting incidents in the last two weeks. One of our challenges has been getting officers to the scene of shooting incidents detected by ShotSpotter. We said at the outset that the efficacy of the system would rely heavily on cooperation from SAPS. While there is certainly support for the ShotSpotter concept, the limited SAPS resources and response to alerts remains a challenge.</p> <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/ss2.jpg" alt="" style="width:855px;" /> </figure>​​</span><p>‘With the increased use of CCTV to help identify shooters, we’re hoping that SAPS can use that footage to track down the suspects and bolster the odds of a conviction. Everything is about convictions and unless there are convictions, we will not improve the gang situation on the Cape Flats. Just last week, we had a case where a suspect was positively identified from CCTV and arrested shortly after. That arrest was for attempted murder, but he was also a suspect in a murder case just the day before,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.</p><p>In the first nine days of April, ShotSpotter detected 176 shooting incidents with a total of 505 rounds fired – 90% of these were in Manenberg. The Strategic Surveillance Unit has handed over nearly 10 gigabytes of video footage to SAPS detectives to aid their investigations.</p><p>Between 1 March and 9 April 2018, the City’s Metro Police Department participated in 77 operations in Hanover Park and Manenberg along with SAPS and other City enforcement agencies. During this time, the department arrested 67 suspects, registering a total of 53 cases comprising 73 charges at the respective police stations. The charges include unlawful use or possession of drugs, murder, attempted murder and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Officers also confiscated 688 units of drugs and two firearms and ammunition.</p><p>Yet another firearm was confiscated in the latest ShotSpotter success in the early hours of Wednesday, 11 April when the Metro Police K9 Unit responded to a gunshot alert. Two suspects, aged 22 and 27, were taken into custody at Manenberg SAPS for possession of an illegal firearm. A Norinco Star firearm was confiscated.</p><p><strong>End</strong><br></p>

2018-04-11T22:00:00Z

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