DA asks public protector to explain contradictions in EMPD armoury report

The DA is requesting an investigation be done regarding the contradictions between a report tabled before the Ekurhuleni Council and the EMPD armoury audit report.

“The Public Protector’s report, of February 17, supported the council report presented by the member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Safety Councillor Mmoko, which found that since the establishment of the EMPD in 2002, a total of 48 firearms had been stolen or lost,” said Mike Waters MP, DA Kempvale Constituency Head.

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“However, the Ministers reply states something completely different, that 334 firearms have been stolen and a further 103 have been lost by the EMPD.”

According to Waters, the Minister could not give any indication as to how much ammunition had been stolen or gone missing during their inspections, due to the fact that ammunition does not have serial numbers.

In July 2019 the DA revealed, through the possession of the highly sensitive EMPD armoury audit report which still has not been made public, that:

• Out of Ekurhuleni’s 3525 firearms licenses, only 2518 (71.43 per cent) could be accounted for

• 382 (10.84 per cent) firearms have been reported missing or stolen

• 357 (10.13 per cent) firearms are unaccounted for

• Five LM6 rifles were purchased from a supplier and although the licenses were issued, the supplier was liquidated before the rifles could be delivered.

“Various members, however, did not report for the audit. The armoury forwarded the list of names after completion of the audit to different regions and specialised services in an attempt to get members to comply. This instruction was ignored,” said Waters.

This resulted in the following:

• No weekly firearm inspection sheets were forwarded to the armoury.

• Lack of communication to the armoury regarding firearm-related incidents.

• Employees from other city departments are not subjected to the same rules as the EMPD officers in terms of inspections and compulsory competency evaluations as stipulated by legislation.

• The current filing system is inadequate and not user friendly. The armoury is currently busy implementing a new filing system.

• No control over budgetary processes. No money available for holsters, firearm spares and ammunition when required.

• Firearms reported at various SAPS offices and some firearms might be destroyed.

“It is quite obvious that SAPS were not asked or did not provide the figures mentioned in the Minister’s reply to the PP, otherwise she would have picked up the contradictions,” Waters said in a statement.

“What is also of concern is that since the establishment of the EMPD, in 2002 the SAPS has only conducted three inspections into the metro’s armoury, instead of conducting annual audits.”

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Waters made note of Section 109 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000), which dictates that SAPS must conduct an annual compliance inspection at all institutions, including Metropolitan Police Departments.

“According to the reply, inspections only took place on July 6 2012, 10 years after the EMPD was established, July 21, 2017, thus a further five years later and September 6, 2019, which is two years after the previous inspection.

“Both the contradictions into the PP’s report and the lack of oversight by SAPS into the armoury of the EMPD need serious and urgent investigation.”

Waters added that the DA is requesting that the PP reopens the investigation, given the new information provided by the Minister, and to determine whether the Ekurhuleni Council was misled, but also for her to expand the scope of her investigation into why SAPS failed in their legal obligations to inspect EMPD armour annually.

The City Times contacted the EMPD for comment on May 21, but were told that the response must come from a corporate level.

Nothing was received at the time of publication.