Cape Town police services managed to close the ring on two murder suspects within an hour of the crime having taken place, thanks to a prompt alert provided by one of the city’s ShotSpotter devices.
At 8:53am on Sunday, a 15-year-old teenager riding a bicycle was tragically shot on St Christopher Road in Lavender Hill. The suspects fled in a white Nissan 1400 bakkie.
Following the alert, Metro Police searched the area and reviewed CCTV footage, which allowed them to identify the vehicle and track the suspects' location.
About an hour after the shooting, police spotted the bakkie in Lansdowne and two suspects, aged 25 and 26, were arrested.
“The arrests came about due to good collaboration between agencies, but also drawing on the technology available to us,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman Smith.
“The gunshot detection alert allowed for a pinpoint response, which meant intelligence was gathered quickly and disseminated, and the officers could start tracking down the shooters with the help of CCTV, before they had a chance to get too far.”
Alderman Smith added that although it was cold comfort to those mourning the loss of a loved one, the manner in which the incident was handled points to the ever-evolving enforcement approach that’s helping to clamp down on violence in the city.
ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection technology consists of a network of acoustic sensors that can detect, locate, and alert police to nearly all gunshot incidents.
Drug dealers arrested
Also on Sunday, police officers arrested two suspects, aged 21 and 22, for alleged drug dealing in Mowbray.
This was thanks to a member of the public, who flagged down officers patrolling the area, and informed them of a drug deal taking place at a house in the area.
After requesting permission to search the premises, police found cocaine, tik and marijuana with an estimated street value of R22,000.
Law enforcement officers in Cape Town say they made 374 arrests for various alleged crimes in the past week. These include 41 arrests for drunken driving and five for reckless and negligent driving.
IOL