| SAPS revamps its Central Firearm Registry for the better | |
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| Date Published: | 2015/07/24 |
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Media Statement from National Media Centre Pretoria: Following reports and allegations of corruption and maladministration in the Central Firearm Registry (CFR) of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the National Commissioner, General Riah Phiyega, has acted decisively in appointing a dynamic leader at the level of a Major General with vast operational experience to revamp the CFR. The new team, led by Major General Maropeng Mamotheti, has a new turnaround strategy in place, which sets new standards in the way firearm licences are issued, thus improving efficiency and preventing any opportunity for corruption. In the recent past, the unit found itself under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. It was out of this and the genuine desire on the part of the SAPS to provide an efficient and a user friendly service to the public that the strategy was mooted and finally implemented. After many engagements between the SAPS and the affected stakeholders, the unit has a new action plan which, within a period of three months, has shown improvements in the processing of firearm licenses. The unit handles about 12 000 application per month and is striving to process and finalise applications for firearm licenses within a period of 90 working days. It must however be stated that even as we strive to achieve this 90 working days target, we are still investigating whether it is realistically achievable or not, but we are striving to meet it. Information on how to apply for firearm licenses will now be easily obtainable from the SAPS’s website. A checklist of required documents will be listed in order to save time for the applicants and the officers involved. The SAPS will embark on an education campaign for its members about the firearm licenses and the related processes. Furthermore the public and the potential applicants will be educated about the application process, the renewal of licences and the responsibility associated with owning a firearm. To prevent any opportunity for corruption, SAPS is screening and vetting personnel performing functions in the unit. Furthermore these personnel will be rotated. There is now clear segregation of functions, limited access on certain user functions and the encryption and password control measures. During its many visits to the provinces the team has noted the challenges experienced and has taken steps to address them. These steps include the training of extra designated firearm officers and the support staff and to attend to the shortage of physical resources. These systems and processes will certainly close the corruption tap from leaking. “The proliferation of illegal firearms, past acts of malfeasance at the Central Firearm Registry and the need to encourage responsible ownership of firearms in our country are some of the reasons we worked so hard to clean the mess in that unit and assemble a team of police officers whose integrity is unquestionable,” said General Phiyega. -Ends- Enquiries: Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo - 082 567 4153
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SAPoliceService
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