Gun-toting gangsters across the Cape Flats are set to meet their match with the reintroduction of the ‘ShotSpotter’ system which has been revived in recent months.
The system, bought by the City of Cape Town’s safety and security directorate, comes with a moerse price tag of R860 million, which will see City cops get a major equipment boost which includes drones, dash cams and body cameras to tackle gang violence.
Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, and his team hosted a live demonstration of the system on Thursday as they monitored active gunfire and the subsequent response.
In his address, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis explained that the City is combining gunshot detection technology and drones to pinpoint gun violence and rapidly deploying policing resources.
The system went live in Hanover Park in December, followed by Manenberg in February, and most recently in Lavender Hill in March.
Formerly known as ShotSpotter, the system renamed SoundThinking, identifies the sound of gunfire, giving law enforcement authorities the ability to immediately pinpoint territorial battles erupting between rival gangs.
To date, 35 firearms and 400 rounds of ammunition have already been taken off the streets, resulting in 50 arrests in these areas.
Smith explained that the three areas chosen were done under the advice of SAPS.
He said overall there had been a decline in the amount of shootings with the exception of Manenberg which saw the amount of gunshots tripling thanks to recent gang wars.
According to the statistics there were 129 shots fired in February which decreased to 100 in March.
However, in April the system recorded 303 shots.
“There was a sharp increase in April. With all these flare-ups and all shootings, they are retaliatory in nature,” said Smith.
“What this helps us do is make them brief flare-ups as opposed to long protracted month-long battles.
“In Manenberg we have seen the amount of shooting incidents reduced except for April, which we believe is linked to the assassinations that were well covered by the media during March.
“There was a whole series of high profile gang leaders and their closest affiliates [being shot at], with one particular gang, the Fancy Boys, acquiring territory more aggressively.”
Ralph Clark, president and CEO of SoundThinking, added: “We hope to expand our footprint into other hotspot areas in Cape Town and other South African municipalities as part of a holistic response to tackle gun violence and increase public safety in communities.”