Local Government, Environ-mental Affairs and Development Planning
With reference to his reply to question 14 of the Written Question Paper dated 2 October 2020:
(a) When was this technology first implemented in the City of Cape Town, (b) when was the use of this technology terminated in the City of Cape Town, (c) why is it “currently” not in use in the City of Cape Town, (d) how many people were arrested during the period in which the technology was being used by the City of Cape Town as a direct result of this technology, (e) how many people were convicted as a result of this technology and (f) what has been the total cost of this technology since its inception?
(a) 2016
(b) 2019
(c) the contract expired
(d) 67
(e) This information is collated by the Department of Justice
(f) R31,8 million
During the period of the contract, 6688 incidents were recorded with a total of 18777 shots fired. There were 53 fatalities and 202 injuries. Most of these gunfire incidents would have gone undetected, as very few incidents are reported by the community, except where fatalities and injuries were reported. Shotspotter gave the City the opportunity to visualise the gunfire incidents and, through historical data, show the extent of gunfire taking place within the monitored area. CCTV was utilized in conjunction with shotspotter which resulted in the successful arrest of a number of perpetrators. During the period of the contract, 60 firearms, 1010 rounds of ammunition and 8 imitation firearms were recovered.
Some of the benefits of the technology is that retaliation shooting incidents were limited or non-existent due to the police response, when responding to the initial gunfire alert. The ability to detect and gather valuable information on the location, volume of shots fired / frequency, and time and day of week was valuable. The accurate incident location allowed for a faster response to incidents and information gathering, related to possible gang activity, gun violence and retaliation shootings. It was used as a force multiplier to enforcement agencies, and historical data gathered was useful for operational planning in information-led policing initiatives.
