JP Smith: Illegal weapons are our biggest headache

CAPE Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith said that there are significant challenges to the control gang-related gun violence.

- BY MARSHA DEAN

Communities such as Lavender Hill, Mitchells Plain and Hanover Park, to name a few have been at the forefront of these bloodbaths, with residents pleading for extra deployment of law enforcement personnel and the South African National Defence Force.

But Smith says targeting guns and ammunition could help stem the tide.

Extent

Smith says: "The extent of the problem lies in quantifying just how many illegal firearms firearm and ammunition are in circulation in our communities. In addition, the impact of the ballistic testing backlog which delays matters when perpetrators are arrested.