National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola announced on Monday that provincial Commissioners are mobilising maximum resources to prevent more incidents of shootings and to apprehend perpetrators.

The past weekends have been marred by shootings that have resulted in multiple murders and injuries in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Masemola said provincial Commissioners, through the National Crime Combatting Forum, as well as the South African Police Service (Saps) are working together to enhance policing methodologies to reduce serious and violent crimes.

“Our analysis of crime threats and crime patterns guides our intensified deployments over identified problematic time zones and at identified crime hotspots. For instance, there is an indication that, in general, most serious and violent crime is committed between Fridays and Mondays,” he explained.

He announced that all provinces are now conducting simultaneous blitz operations with high visibility and include cordon and searches, as well as intelligence-driven, multi-disciplinary, disruptive operations.

Masemola also announced the tightening of enforcement of the Firearms Control Act, the National and Provincial Liquor Acts, and the Second Hand Goods Act, as well as a strategic mounting of roadblocks.

Police Station Commanders are now expected to align their daily duties and report on Crime Threat and Pattern Analysis of their local policing precincts.

In July, a total of 1 173 illegal firearms and 7 738 live ammunition were confiscated countrywide. 1 035 of these were confiscated in Gauteng alone.

Masemola said some of the firearms, ammunition and dangerous weapons were seized during roadblocks. Also found were stolen vehicles and drugs.

“This reflects our determination as management of the SAPS to intensify our efforts, dealing decisively with the proliferation of illegal firearms, thus reducing the volumes of serious and violent crimes,” he said.

As part of the Saps Women Empowerment Agenda Lieutenant General Koliswa Constance Otola has been appointed Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner. The ratio of female to male provincial Commissioners officially stands at five to four.

“Let me hasten to confirm that we selected from a pool of very strong candidates, the best suited senior officer to deal decisively with crime in the Northern Cape. These appointments are the end-result of a thought-intensive process to find the most suitable candidates from the existing vast pool of equally apt peers,” said Masemola.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said the provisional police Commissioner post in the Northern Cape was vacant for almost two years due to disputes between various parties.

Masemola also announced the appointment of Molefe Fani as Divisional Commissioner for supply chain management and Tebello Mosikili as Deputy National Commissioner responsible for policing.