Two teenagers, aged 16 and 18, have been arrested after an unlicensed firearm was found on the premises of a high school in Hermes Avenue, Atlantis.
Western Cape police say officers conducted a search at the school on Friday after receiving a tip-off about a firearm.
Police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala says the firearm was found inside a backpack.
“The members conducted a search on the school premises on Friday after receiving a tip-off about a firearm. They found the firearm in a backpack and arrested two suspects aged 16 and 18. Further investigation revealed that the firearm belonged to a deceased person.”
Police are now urging members of the public to surrender firearms belonging to deceased persons, warning that unsecured firearms can contribute to serious and violent crimes.
The incident has also highlighted ongoing concerns around learners bringing weapons onto school grounds.
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) spokesperson Bronagh Hammond says schools are dangerous-object and weapon-free zones, but acknowledges that some learners still carry weapons.
“While our schools are dangerous objects and weapon free zones, the sad reality is that sometimes learners carry weapons to school as a means of protection when travelling to and from school. In other instances, weapons are brought into schools as a means of ‘showing off’ or with the intention to harm others.”
Hammond says schools face challenges in preventing weapons from being brought onto their premises, even where security measures such as metal detectors are in place.
“While we can place metal detectors at the front door, a learner can simply throw a weapon over the school wall, or get a weapon ‘delivered’ through a school fence.”
She says disciplinary action must be taken when learners are found with weapons at school.
“It is therefore necessary to ensure that disciplinary action is taken when learners are found with weapons in the school premises. It is a serious transgression.”
The two teenagers are expected to face charges relating to the possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Photo: SAPS/Supplied
