SA Police Service orders 4000 Px4F Storm pistols

[Maktab]

South Africa's police have ordered another 4000 pistols for its new recruits, taking orders in the last four years for the police to some 35 000. An additional 6000 handguns have been delivered to the military and the prison service.

The latest order for Beretta Px4F “Storm” 9mm pistols was placed on Republic Arms (Pty) Ltd of Jeppestown by way of the state arms agency, Armscor, on December 10. The cost of the weapons, to be imported from Italy is R15 811 200.

The police have been engaged in a massive recruiting drive in recent years and currently musters some 188 000. Current plans for the national police to be increased to some 210 000. Nearly all police officers are issued with a service pistol.

The latest batch will be delivered to the police by the end of March.

The pistol will compliment the Vektor Z88 pistols of which Denel manufactured 120 000 in the years up to 1996. The Z88 was a clone of the Beretta 92F. It is understood the Z88 has served the police well but that law enforcers are now having trouble maintaining the weapon as spares are no longer available.

The purchases over the last four years have now breached the US$10 million ceiling, triggering both national and defence industrial participation (NIP & DIP) obligations for Beretta. The company reportedly has DIP obligations of US$6 million and US$3 million in NIP.

The police reportedly chose the Px4 composite pistol because its polymer body is lighter than the Z88's metal frame and because the weapons is fitted with Picatinny rails that can take a variety of accessories as standard. Accessories include laser sighting aids as well as flashlights.

The wikipedia notes the Px4 was first produced in 2004. It notes the semi-automatic uses the same short-recoil, rotating barrel lock as the Beretta 8000 Models as well as “exactly the same operating system as the M9/92/96 series, while being completely different in design from either.”
Leon Engelbrecht - DefenceWeb (http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6286:police-up-arsenal&catid=3:Civil%20Security&Itemid=113)


Nice to see them getting something a bit newer than the old Z88s. Does anybody know if the previous orders for 31 000 pistols were also for the Px4?

[....]

Interesting. And I'm glad they're getting something new.

[Clear_blues]

the article mentioned that a minority would not be issued side arms, would that be because they're administrative?

[Maktab]

Yes. To my knowledge, all officers on operational duties are required to have a firearm. Going out without one would be suicide.

[18SASS]

Did SA never look at the SP1/SP1 G pistol made by Vektor back in the day? Awesome pistol.

[baboon6]

Yes. To my knowledge, all officers on operational duties are required to have a firearm. Going out without one would be suicide.

Though when they do go out with one it's sometimes homicide!

[Dinges]

Well they have to buy new ones at the rate they lose guns.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/7085320/South-Africa-police-lose-3000-guns-a-year.html



South Africa police 'lose 3,000 guns a year'

Almost 3,000 South African police firearms were lost or stolen in just nine months, it emerged today – about three for every police station in the country, which has some of the highest crime rates in the world.

[marius72za]

Did SA never look at the SP1/SP1 G pistol made by Vektor back in the day? Awesome pistol.

To complicated piece of equipment. The SAPS is looking for weapons they can sell as fast as possible on the black marketrofl

[Skukuza]

I thought the vektor was a good firearm.
Why change I wonder.

[Ops Rachel vet]

The Vektor Z88 and SP1 are both very good firearms. The SAPS did utilized some SP1 pistoles, who where taken up with the amalgimation of the police forces during 1994.
The Vektor SP2 ( in .40 S&W ) are still been used by SAPS's practical pistol shooters, with good results.

Vektor / Lyttelton Engeneering Works stoped producing the Z88 and SP line of pistoles.
No other manufacturer can supply SA made pistols in South Africa to the SAPS.



SAPS invested in the PX4 Storm as a new way forword. It is a modern pistol that will equip the officers with a better tool for the job.