South Africa: Did Cape Town's Gunshot Detection System Work? Why Jury Is Still Out On What Shotspotter Achieved
31 Jul 2026, 07:43 GMT
Topic: Legal and Judicial Affairs
Source URL: https://allafrica.com/stories/202607310048.html
[The Conversation Africa] In mid-2026 Cape Town's city council ended the use of ShotSpotter, a US-developed gunshot detection system and a form of dragnet surveillance. The system was first piloted in 2016. The council said it was reviewing a renewal of the contract. The acoustic system was marketed as being able to detect and alert police officers to gunfire within 60 seconds.