POLICE destroyed more than 18 000 firearms on Thursday, 22 February, at Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal.
Sedibeng cluster police Major-General Nkhensani Lemba said the guns were sized from operations, and people voluntarily surrendered their unused firearms.
Lemba warned all those who have illegal guns to voluntarily surrender them before the police come for them.
According to Lemba, police informers are on the ground gathering information on illegal guns.
"Whoever thinks police don't know that he or she has an illegal gun, the clock is ticking. Soon the police will be at their doors," Lemba warned.
"We're going to remove all illegal firearms in our communities because we want our residents to live in a gun-free zone."
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Lemba said all the firearms that were destroyed were subjected to ballistics testing to determine whether they had been used in the commission of a crime, or not.
"The destroyed firearms were confiscated during Operation Shanela GBVF cases, and some are voluntarily surrendered."
She said the operation fights all criminal elements every week from Thursdays to Mondays when crime is most prevalent.
"All criminals, we're coming for you. There's no place to hide."
Lemba said police would intensify operations to detect and remove illegal firearms and ammunition from the streets of South Africa, as they pose a threat to the safety and security of the inhabitants of the country.
