"Criminals must know that we are trying more innovate ways to deal
with crime prevention and law enforcement and the successful implementation of
Shotspotter technology is just one of the ways we are dealing with this
evil.”
Nelson
Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor Athol Trollip made this pertinent
statement at a press conference held jointly with American company, Shotspotter
Incorporated, and the Municipality at the Port Elizabeth City Hall today.
Mayor
Trollip said barring the necessary funding allocation, the roll-out of this
technology will be considered for other crime-ridden areas in future.
Shotspotter Technology, piloted in Helenvale since October 2017,
entails the strategic placement of acoustic sensors that immediately informs law
enforcement of gunshots and provides precise information of the location of the
crime.
The
consideration for a broader roll-out of the R3 million project, follows
seventeen arrests by the gang unit of the South African Services and arrests for
attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms amongst
others.
Member
of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security, Cllr John Best, said before
the launch of this technology in October last year, a two-week trial period
showed that 99% of the shots discharged in Helenvale are not reported to the
police.
"Initially we noticed a lot of gunshots in the old Helenvale area
and with the technology aiding the South African Police Services (SAPS), the
gang unit and the Metro Police, we could zero in on the problematic areas.
"We
had about 15 streets where regular gunshot incidents occurred. This came down to
about three streets at the moment.
"Three
suspects were arrested for attempted murder, three for possession of firearms
without a valid license, one murder suspect was arrested and we recovered a
shotgun with 54 rounds as well as a 9 mm gun.
"This
morning, I was informed by the SAPS gang unit that they arrested seventeen
suspects on suspicion of gang activity since 26 October.
"In
all these instances suspects were arrested when the Metro Police and SAPS
responded to Shotspotter notifications following the discharge of firearms,”
said MMC Best.
Shotspotter Incorporated was founded by an engineer mathematician
in the United States of America and has been in business for more than twenty
years.
Ralph
Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer, said Nelson Mandela Bay is not
unique when it comes to the under-reporting of gun violence.
"In
the USA about 10% of all gun violence is reported by residents. When gun
violence is not reported, the police cannot respond and as a result gun violence
become normalised.
"By
enabling the police to respond to these events in real time, we can then
communicate to the community that the police do care and build trusting
relationships and community capacity to address gun violence.
"We
have three deployments in South Africa and the thing I have been the most
impressed with here in Nelson Mandela Bay is the cooperation and collaboration
between your local Metro Police and SAPS as collaboration between different
agencies and different stakeholders is crucial.
"The
statistics MMC Best has shared are very impressive but I cannot emphasize enough
that they are short term statistics. The most interesting statistic is an
anecdotal story that was shared with me.
"The
behaviour of this community changed as people are now occupying spaces that they
would otherwise not have used due to the fear of gun violence.
"When
people are using and playing in parks again and parents walk their children to
school once again. That, despite the great work that law enforcement is doing in
respect of gun violence, is perhaps the greatest lever that you have.
"Reducing and de-normalising gun violence by communities reclaiming
their space.
"We
are very excited by what you are doing here. We are deployed in Chicago, Detroit
and New York City and other major cities but are especially happy with the work
done in smaller cities to combat gun violence.
"We
are delighted to be your partner,” Clark said.
The
evidence gathered with Shotspotter technology is used by prosecuting authorities
and it is a crucial policing tool to gather intelligence to improve response and
deployment of law enforcement.
Ends
Issued
on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality by Media Management Officer
Kupido Baron (082 780 2726 / 041 506 1500 / kbaron@mandelametro.gov.za /
@kupidobaron).