Cape Tow - The Shot Spotter programme has been awarded a new tender until June 30, 2025 after the first phase of three years saw 67 arrests in gang-riddled communities such as Hanover Park and Manenberg.
From 2016 until April 2019, 19 721 gunshots were detected through Shot Spotter saw 68 firearms recovered and an excess of one thousand live rounds which the City believes saved over 200 lives.
The City said that convictions are not primarily dependent on the gunfire detection system but on the criminal justice system
However, this has been met with mixed reactions.
Political parties such as the Good Party have raised concerns that the programme did not heed much success after R31.8 million was spent to sustain it.
Good’s Suzette Little argued this and Gillion Bosman, the DA’s provincial spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety added that all resources were needed to reduce gang violence in such communities.
The Shot Spotter programme is the brainchild of Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
The programme began in California and is known for its controversial gunshot detection.
Smith told Weekend Argus they are optimistic about the new phase after the first one saw much success.
“Just over 70% of the firearms recovered were from the area where Shot Spotter was deployed,” explained Smith.
“Sixty-seven arrests in seven square kilometres is a good statistic which was explained to Councillor Little in the portfolio committee where her comments were rejected by officials and councillors from the governing administration and opposition alike.
“Shot Spotter increased our firearm recovery by a factor of five.
“The City does not believe that it is possible to place a price on the lives of people in Manenberg and Hanover Park and we are proud that we've been able to bring the best technology to add to the fight against crime in some of our most vulnerable communities.
“It is our intention to install the gunfire system into areas, as directed by crime statistics supplied by the South African Police and with their guidance.
“The previous tender covered seven square kilometres of Hanover Park and Manenberg.”
Smith said more technology would be ploughed into areas where gun violence was prevalent and that it was at the teething stage where contracts were being signed off and would see the reintroduction of the Shot Spotter programme.
“We are now installing this technology to a much larger area, where firearm-related incidents are prevalent, especially murder and attempted murder.
“The City is at an advanced stage of the contract, with the sensors.
“The Shot Spotter gunfire detection system added huge value, hence the starting of the process to reinstate it.
“Shot Spotter, which is the brand name of the system that was used during the first tender (Shot Spotter was awarded the new tender again, until 30 June, 2025), allowed police to respond to every single gunshot incident, as opposed to one out of eight or one out of 13 as had previously been the case due to low levels of gunshot reporting and the difficulty in identifying an accurate location in operational environments.
“Not only did the system allow for a more frequent response to gunshots, but it also meant a faster and more accurate response. Our responses led officers to in excess of two hundred (200) injured persons whose lives were most likely saved due to the swift reaction and it also prevented the extended retaliation shootings often experienced when we don’t get the call of shootings in the area.
“When we assessed its value to determine whether it should be reinstated after the initial pilot programme, it was estimated that the system increased our firearm recovery rate five times over. From 2016 until April 2019, 19 721 gunshots were detected through Shot Spotter. Sixty-eight firearms were recovered during this period and in excess of one thousand live rounds.
“It is a testimony to the efficacy of Shot Spotter that just on 40% of all the firearms recovered in the entire city and across all operations, was recovered in just seven square kilometres where the gunfire detection system was operational, as a direct result of response to gunfire detection alerts.
Little said in her portfolio that the programme had not been successful.
“Residents of Hanover Park and Manenberg are set to again see the roll-out of the City of Cape Town’s gunshot detection system - Shot Spotter - despite very poor results in its use to fight crime,” she argued.
“The first phase of the project ran from 2016 to 2019 and cost taxpayers R31.8 million.
“During these three years, the multimillion-rand technology recorded 6 688 incidents with a total of 18 777 shots fired, but only 67 arrests were made as a direct result of its use, while it is unclear how many cases saw an actual conviction.”
Bosman slammed back that more had to be done to reduce the gunfire: “The residents of Hanover Park and Manenberg deserve all the tools in our crime-fighting arsenal and for as long as we do not have a police system that is able to effectively deal with gun crime in that area, the DA in the Western Cape will continue to deploy innovations that assist with both SAPS and the people of the city.”