Cape Town - Despite the reintroduction of the ShotSpotter project in Hanover Park, the local community policing forum said gang violence and shootings continued.
This was in response to safety and security Mayco member JP Smith reporting a 30% reduction of incidents recorded in the area.
The gun detection system, which is in its second iteration after it was reintroduced to the two areas late last year, had received fierce pushback with the community policing forums deeming it ineffective and a waste of taxpayer’s money.
The City budgeted R30 million for the current phase running for the next three years.
Hanover Park CPF chairperson Khashiefa Mohammed said Smith’s claims of the 30% reduction of incidents in the area were untrue. She said there were more murders in the past month, with more shooting incidents in December, when the project was re-launched.
“Our biggest problem is when public servants think it’s permitted to not give a true reflection in their reports; all this at the cost of lives.
“Despite the men and women in uniform doing their best to serve and protect, crime has increased since Leap was launched, CCTV cameras installed, and the reintroduction of the ShotSpotter.
“The ‘significant amount’ Smith said the City invested is just another sugar-coated word used, instead of informing the public that more than R110 million has been spent on this acoustic rented service,” she said.
Mohammed alleged that “this technology” was forced upon the community.
“The governing party is trying its best to dilute the SAPS in the province at all costs, even at the cost of young lives of children and women.
“Crime on the Cape Flats is organised and a profitable business across many spheres, not just national government but local government too,” she said.
Smith said that in December, ShotSpotter detected 464 rounds fired in Hanover Park, and 129 incidents, while 314 rounds were fired and 81 incidents were recorded last month. He said there was a reduction recorded in Hanover Park since the technology was deployed.
“The community policing forums should be well aware that resources are allocated according to criminal data received through the registering of case dockets. Since a large number of gunshots (majority) go unreported to SAPS, communities are left unassisted while gun battles rage within the streets,” he said.
Smith said the ShotSpotter was now offering evidential data accepted by criminal courts.