Chapter 13

THEFT OF A FIREARM

The theft of a firearm indicates that no force (either implied or actual) was used against the victim to steal the firearm. If force was used, the crime would be an incident of robbery or mugging. In South Africa, thefts of firearms are increasing. In 1995, 7 285 cases were reported increasing to 11 391 in 1998.



In this research, conclusions are drawn from 63 incidents analysed, which comprised 8% of the docket sample.



It was found that 63.6% of incidents of the theft of a firearm occurred between 08h00 and 16h00.



In this sample, 74.6% of incidents of the theft of a firearm occurred in the inner city or central business district. The other significant locations where the theft of firearms occurred were private residential properties (9.5%) and places of work or education (7.9%).



Usually, the victim (92.1%) reported the crime to the police.



Police detection of thefts of a firearm is low. It was found that 72.6% of all firearm theft incidents are undetected. In 17.7% of cases, complaints are withdrawn and, in 9.7% of cases, there is a guilty verdict. In three of these verdicts, a fine was imposed (at a value of less than R1 999) and in one case, a prison sentence was handed down of between three to four years.



Different circumstances surrounded the incidents of the theft of a firearm. It was found that 27% of victims lost firearms stored in their offices, such as in drawers and briefcases. A further 19% of victims lost their firearms when these were stolen from their motor vehicles, and 19% of firearms were stolen from victims in general theft circumstances (the nature of the theft was not specified in the police docket). These are considered theft of firearm incidents, as the circumstances indicated that the firearm was stolen as a result of not being appropriately stored in a high proportion of the cases.

Table 60: Circumstances of theft of firearm
Circumstances	Number	Percentage
Theft of firearm from office	17	27
Theft of firearm left in vehicle & taken from vehicle	12	19
Theft of firearm general circumstances	12	19
Theft of firearm from bag (with firearm)	6	9.5
Theft of firearm taken from safe storage	5	7.9
Theft of firearm from home while stored in a safe	4	6.3
Lost firearm when left in toilet	2	3.2
Theft of firearm from bag from gym locker	2	3.2
Theft of firearm from home while not stored in a safe	2	3.2
Lost firearm from holster on person	1	1.6
Total	63	100

In the 63 incidents of the theft of a firearm, 93 people were involved: 30 known offenders and 60 victims. The data on the total number of people involved in the incident is unreliable, since the number of offenders involved in incidents of the theft of a firearm cannot be established reliably.



More specifically, the information on the number of offenders involved in the theft incident cannot be regarded confidently. In the theft of a firearm, offenders and victims do not usually come face-to-face. Thus, when reporting the crime, it is doubtful whether the victim can provide accurate information on the number of offenders. As a result, this figure is accepted as an underrepresentation of the total number of offenders. It could be assumed that there is a minimum of one offender for every theft of a firearm that is committed. However, in this report, the existing figures are used as presented in the police dockets, even though the number of offenders was considered to be underreported.



Of the 63 reported incidents of the theft of a firearm, information was recorded on only 59 firearms stolen. It was found that seven of the offenders and 56 victims had firearms. Of the victims’ firearms in question, 92.9% were licenced. Evidence suggests that the distinction between victims and offenders was blurred. In dockets recording the theft of a firearm, the distinction between victims and offenders was subjective, especially as cases were often undetected. It is debatable whether victims whose firearms were stolen from their homes because they were left unattended and not stored in a safe place were victims of firearm theft or perpetrators of negligence.



There was insufficient information to provide a valid profile of the age, vocation or employment status of offenders. In theft incidents, victims and offender seldom interfaced during the theft.



It was found that 76.7% of victims of the theft of a firearm were male and 23.3% were female. The race profile of the victims was as follows: 54.4% white; 24.6% African; 14% coloured; and 7% Asian. In terms of age, 25.5% were between the ages of 21 to 30 years, while 56.4% were between the ages of 31 to 50 years. Overall, 84.7% of the victims were employed.



As a result of the 63 incidents, one offender was slightly injured and five victims were injured (two emotionally, two slightly and one fatally).