TOY guns caused a panic among residents in Ashley Drive in Gillitts when they were assumed to be assault rifles, on Friday 2 May. A resident found a replica AK47 and several other toy guns under a bush near her driveway, and thought she had made a blood chilling discovery.
Photos were posted on Facebook and the post spread like wildfire. It was later revealed that the guns were left there by neighbourhood children who were merely playing cops and robbers.
Brian Jones, of SA CAN, a crime prevention organisation, said he received a call out and various phone calls from the residents after the incident was posted online. He confirmed that the guns were in fact toys.
“Most times we embrace the assistance of the community, but at other times it can hamper an investigation. Once the incident was reported we just could not control it. We received calls from all over and received various versions of the incident. It made it difficult to determine who the original complainant was,” said Jones.
Jones also reported that incidences such as this one can cause frustration for authorities, as they waste both time and the resources of police and crime prevention initiatives.
“All of the necessary authorities still need to be dispatched to the scene to verify that the guns found, for example, are indeed toy guns and that someone is not attempting to hide weapons,” said Jones.
SA CAN and SAPS urged residents to contact the SAPS when they have any emergency or incident that they wish to report.
