Concerns about missing 739 firearms, says DA report
‘Stolen and missing firearms totalled 382, and 357 other firearms unaccounted for.’
ON July 9, the Democratic Alliance released information contained in the highly sensitive EMPD armoury audit report.
According to the DA, the long overdue armoury audit into the EMPD highlights gross incompetence of the head of the armoury and the shambolic state of affairs within the armoury.
The release stated that out of CoE 3 525 firearms licences, only 2 518 (71.43 per cent) could be accounted for – 382 (10.84 percent) firearms have been reported missing or stolen. The report says 357 (10.13 percent) firearms are unaccounted for, and five LM6 rifles were purchased from a supplier who issued the licences, but the supplier was liquidated before the rifles could be delivered.
Other major concerns in the report is that various members of EMPD did not report for the audit.
According to the report, the armoury attempted to get the members to comply by sending the names to the different regions and services, but the instruction was ignored.
The report states further states that there were also no weekly firearm inspection sheets forwarded to the armoury.
In response to the allegations, Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago made the following statement: “The EMPD has submitted an audit progress report to be tabled at the next council meeting.
“With regards to other allegations made against the department in the statement, they are viewed as sheer speculation devoid of facts and thus an accurate picture can only be obtained once the joint auditing process has been finalised with South African Police Service.”
