Steven Mace
02-21-2002, 06:08 AM
Thursday 21 February 2002
Strife-torn communities favour gun control
Main reason cited for the increase in number of firearms was the level of accessibility .
THREE communities in which the use of guns is rife have come out in favour of gun control and said they would like to live in communities without firearms .
The communities at LekoaVaal, KwaMashu township near Durban, and Tsolo-Qumbu in the former Transkei were the subject of a study by the Institute for Security Studies which explored firearm penetration in the communities and attitudes to guns.
The research complemented another analysis of the agreement on arms destruction between SA and Mozambique, a key element in preventing the flow of illegal arms to SA.
The findings of the institute's project, known as the arms management programme, coincided with a police workshop yesterday, set up to teach communication officers aspects of effective firearms control and safety as required by law.
SA passed the Firearms Control Act last year, after a fiery debate between proponents and opponents of gun control.
Sen Supt Andrew Lesch said that communication officers from head office, the provinces and area officers attended yesterday's workshop.
Ettiene Hennop, another researcher with the institute also involved in the arms management programme, praised the way in which SA and Mozambican law enforcement agencies had worked together on a number of weapons destruction operations, code-named Operation Rachel.
Hennop singled out in particular the political commitment and the enthusiasm of both parties and the increasing awareness and willingness among Mozambican communities to assist in eradicating arms caches.
Hennop said: "Operation Rachel is unique and could become a model for joint action elsewhere in Africa."
The second leg of the institute's report on community attitudes to firearms considered the three case studies.
Researcher Clare Jefferson said that the three communities in the case studies were chosen because they were "historically, socially and economically disadvantaged, being subjected to both serious crime and fire-arm related problems".
Jefferson found that the main reason cited by all three communities for the increase in the number of firearms was the level of accessibility.
Said Jefferson: "The youth want firearms, and they can get the firearms."
She said the second reason the communities gave for the increase in firearms was that they were obtained in reaction to perceptions of rising crime and violence in communities.
"It is probable that if crime trends continue to increase, women in the community could start to carry firearms too," Jefferson said.
The research found that crime increased by more than twothirds compared with previous years in all settlement areas, except the Tsolo-Qumbu area.
The study found that the highest level of victimisation and the greatest increase in crime and level of gang activities was in KwaMashu township.
This were particularly bad in the township's formal settlement, the informal settlement and the hostel areas. Levels of gun use were gauged by the frequency of the sound of gunshots.
Jefferson said that the main reasons given by respondents canvassed in the survey for considering owning a gun were linked to issues of self-defence and protection.
She said that in the Lekoa-Vaal urban area and Tsolo-Qumbu, 13,7% and 9,3% of the respondents respectively had already obtained a firearm, which they kept in their homes as a crimeprevention measure.
"Across all three case-study areas, there was support for better control over firearms and a desire to live in a community without firearms," she said.
Females were more supportive of gun control than males.
Jefferson said that the highest ratio of violent crime to property crime was evident in formal settlements in KwaMashu, followed by the Lekoa-Vaal area and then informal settlement areas in KwaMashu.
The biggest increase in violent crime was perceived in the Lekoa-Vaal formal settlement.
With the exception of the Tsolo-Qumbu area, crime increased in all settlement areas by more than two-thirds compared with previous years.
Feb 14 2002 12:00:00:000AM Bonile Ngqiyaza Business Day 1st Edition
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1023104-6099-0,00.html
Steve Mace
Strife-torn communities favour gun control
Main reason cited for the increase in number of firearms was the level of accessibility .
THREE communities in which the use of guns is rife have come out in favour of gun control and said they would like to live in communities without firearms .
The communities at LekoaVaal, KwaMashu township near Durban, and Tsolo-Qumbu in the former Transkei were the subject of a study by the Institute for Security Studies which explored firearm penetration in the communities and attitudes to guns.
The research complemented another analysis of the agreement on arms destruction between SA and Mozambique, a key element in preventing the flow of illegal arms to SA.
The findings of the institute's project, known as the arms management programme, coincided with a police workshop yesterday, set up to teach communication officers aspects of effective firearms control and safety as required by law.
SA passed the Firearms Control Act last year, after a fiery debate between proponents and opponents of gun control.
Sen Supt Andrew Lesch said that communication officers from head office, the provinces and area officers attended yesterday's workshop.
Ettiene Hennop, another researcher with the institute also involved in the arms management programme, praised the way in which SA and Mozambican law enforcement agencies had worked together on a number of weapons destruction operations, code-named Operation Rachel.
Hennop singled out in particular the political commitment and the enthusiasm of both parties and the increasing awareness and willingness among Mozambican communities to assist in eradicating arms caches.
Hennop said: "Operation Rachel is unique and could become a model for joint action elsewhere in Africa."
The second leg of the institute's report on community attitudes to firearms considered the three case studies.
Researcher Clare Jefferson said that the three communities in the case studies were chosen because they were "historically, socially and economically disadvantaged, being subjected to both serious crime and fire-arm related problems".
Jefferson found that the main reason cited by all three communities for the increase in the number of firearms was the level of accessibility.
Said Jefferson: "The youth want firearms, and they can get the firearms."
She said the second reason the communities gave for the increase in firearms was that they were obtained in reaction to perceptions of rising crime and violence in communities.
"It is probable that if crime trends continue to increase, women in the community could start to carry firearms too," Jefferson said.
The research found that crime increased by more than twothirds compared with previous years in all settlement areas, except the Tsolo-Qumbu area.
The study found that the highest level of victimisation and the greatest increase in crime and level of gang activities was in KwaMashu township.
This were particularly bad in the township's formal settlement, the informal settlement and the hostel areas. Levels of gun use were gauged by the frequency of the sound of gunshots.
Jefferson said that the main reasons given by respondents canvassed in the survey for considering owning a gun were linked to issues of self-defence and protection.
She said that in the Lekoa-Vaal urban area and Tsolo-Qumbu, 13,7% and 9,3% of the respondents respectively had already obtained a firearm, which they kept in their homes as a crimeprevention measure.
"Across all three case-study areas, there was support for better control over firearms and a desire to live in a community without firearms," she said.
Females were more supportive of gun control than males.
Jefferson said that the highest ratio of violent crime to property crime was evident in formal settlements in KwaMashu, followed by the Lekoa-Vaal area and then informal settlement areas in KwaMashu.
The biggest increase in violent crime was perceived in the Lekoa-Vaal formal settlement.
With the exception of the Tsolo-Qumbu area, crime increased in all settlement areas by more than two-thirds compared with previous years.
Feb 14 2002 12:00:00:000AM Bonile Ngqiyaza Business Day 1st Edition
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1023104-6099-0,00.html
Steve Mace