Two teenagers have been arrested after police discovered an unlicensed firearm inside a schoolbag at a high school in Atlantis, Cape Town.
The suspects, aged 16 and 18, were arrested after members of the Atlantis Crime Prevention Unit searched the school premises in Hermes Avenue on Friday, 28 August.
Police searched after receiving information about a firearm on the property.
The weapon was found inside a backpack.
Firearm belonged to deceased person
Police said further investigation established that the firearm had belonged to a deceased person.
SAPS urged families to surrender firearms belonging to deceased relatives to prevent weapons from ending up in the wrong hands.
The Western Cape Education Department said it could not immediately confirm the incident and was awaiting information from its Safe Schools partners.
However, department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond outlined the procedures followed when weapons are found at schools.
Schools declared weapon-free zones
Hammond said Western Cape schools are dangerous-object and weapon-free zones, but acknowledged that some learners still bring weapons onto school property.
She said learners sometimes carry weapons for protection while travelling to and from school, while others may bring them to school to show off or with the intention of harming someone.
Hammond said possession of a weapon on school premises is considered a serious transgression and can result in disciplinary action.
She added that unannounced SAPS search-and-seizure operations can help deter learners from carrying weapons.
Searches require reasonable suspicion
According to Hammond, legislation allows schools to conduct searches and seizures when there is reasonable suspicion that a learner possesses a dangerous object or illegal substance.
School principals can also request SAPS assistance if there is reliable information that a learner is concealing a dangerous object.
The department’s guidelines are intended to ensure searches comply with the law while protecting learners’ rights.
Hammond said the WCED also runs programmes aimed at identifying and supporting young people at risk.
These include interventions addressing behavioural concerns as well as support for anxiety, bereavement, depression, abuse and trauma.
Police have not provided further details about the circumstances surrounding the two teenagers’ alleged possession of the firearm.