R-5 rifles, shotguns for 'sale'

R-5 rifles, shotguns for 'sale' GRAEME HOSKEN | 26 April, 2012 A top-secret police investigation has revealed the indiscriminate theft of tens of thousands of rounds of state ammunition from a Gauteng police firearm training institute. Despite the theft and the alleged "sale" of ammunition from another training facility, no one has been suspended or fired. Instead, the officers have been transferred to different police stations across Gauteng. The investigation, which began late last year, has been kept tightly under wraps, with provincial police management refusing to comment in detail on questions. The discovery of the investigation comes as police are embroiled in a firearm competency saga, which has seen 27000 of the country's 160000 operational police officers being declared unfit to be in possession of their firearms. The probe has seen 90 Johannesburg Hawks members, who are involved in serious and violent crime investigations, having to surrender their weapons while 34 of the 139-member Pretoria Flying Squad have been confined to police charge offices. Firearms trainers have been ordered to surrender their weapons if they have not been issued with firearm competency certificates. Sources close to the investigation say that nearly 100000 bullets for handguns, R-5 semi-automatic assault rifles and shotguns were stolen from a police training facility in Soweto last year. The theft follows the alleged sale of 88000 rounds of R-5 ammunition from the Benoni training facility. These facilities are used to train police in the use of their weapons and street survival courses. The investigation has resulted in the commanders of the province's various firearm training facilities being ordered to transfer all their weapons and ammunition to the Gauteng police logistics armoury. Provincial police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said: "The criminal theft, as well as the disciplinary investigations into the missing ammunition at a Soweto training facility has been concluded. "No suspect could be identified in the criminal matter while internal sanctions were handed to members who worked at the facility during the time of the discovery of the theft. "No ammunition or firearms were reported missing at any of the other Gauteng training facilities," he said. Sources said two sergeants from the Soweto and Benoni facilities have been transferred to nearby police stations. A policeman said the Soweto theft was discovered last year after questions were raised over missing ammunition. A whistle-blower at Benoni then alerted police management that instructors at Benoni were allowing civilians to shoot at their facility. "In exchange for being allowed to shoot with R-5s, people had to pay certain officers R700. "Senior officers tried to cover this up by requesting surplus ammunition from other training facilities in the province." No investigation into this has been launched, and so far no officer has been charged. A Gauteng trainer said what was happening was criminal. "They take our weapons away, but we are expected to go onto the streets and die protecting people. "What has happened is criminal and what police management is doing is criminal," he said.