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An unlicenced firearm recovered during a police operation to recover illegal ammunition and prohibited firearms is seen in this picture captured on 08 March 2024 in Mitchells Plain.
The Mitchells Plain police precinct on the Cape Flats is ranked fifth in the country in dealing with the most violent contact crimes, according to recently released police statistics.
The area is considered a microcosm of the greater crises of gangsterism.
There is a proliferation of illegal firearms and drug smuggling is rife.
Since the beginning of April, between 40 and 60 firearms have been confiscated and more than 900 people have been arrested weekly for the illegal possession of firearms.
Mitchells Plain Station Commander Brian Muller says: “Mitchells Plain is rife when it comes to gangsterism, and I would say 99% of our shootings are obviously gang related. We identified about 16 different types of gangs in Mitchells Plain and unfortunately, the different groupings are staying in one section of a community, which will obviously cause conflict. And what we also established is it is normally about the drug turf. Some of these gangsters are encroaching on the other gang’s turf and that’s why there’s conflict between them.”
Crime Focus | Cape Flats under siege due to gang violence:
