Man dressed as cop robs Shoprite

Cape Town - 141001 - Circumstances surrounding an armed robbery are being investigated after four suspects robbed a Shoprite store of an undisclosed amount of cash in Main Road Fish Hoek during the morning at around 06:45. The suspects fled the scene in a white double cab LDV and are yet to be arrested. One of the suspects was dressed in police uniform and at this stage it cannot be established if he is indeed a member of SAPS. Reporter: Natasha Bezuidenhout Picture: David Ritchie (083 652 4951)

Cape Town - 141001 - Circumstances surrounding an armed robbery are being investigated after four suspects robbed a Shoprite store of an undisclosed amount of cash in Main Road Fish Hoek during the morning at around 06:45. The suspects fled the scene in a white double cab LDV and are yet to be arrested. One of the suspects was dressed in police uniform and at this stage it cannot be established if he is indeed a member of SAPS. Reporter: Natasha Bezuidenhout Picture: David Ritchie (083 652 4951)

Published Oct 2, 2014

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Cape Town - Shoprite Fish Hoek was forced to close for business on Wednesday after armed robbers, one dressed in police uniform, assaulted a security guard and stole an undisclosed sum of cash.

When staff arrived for work at 7am and others at noon, they were told to wait outside the building while police scoured the crime scene.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut said the incident occurred at 6.45am.

“This office can confirm that the circumstances surrounding an armed robbery are being investigated after four suspects robbed a chain retail store of an undisclosed amount of cash in Main Road, Fish Hoek, this morning at around 6.45am.

“A security guard was struck over the head (with a firearm) and sustained minor injuries.

“One of the suspects was dressed in police uniform and at this stage it cannot be established if he is indeed a member of SAPS.”

He added that police uniforms were often stolen or obtained illegally and used “from time to time” by criminals.

The robbers fled in a white double cab LDV and are still at large.

This month the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa reported that retail robberies across South Africa had reached their highest recorded level. Retail robberies increased significantly, by 30 percent over the period April 1, 2013 to March 31, compared with the same period the previous year.

Several robberies involving suspects dressed in police uniform were also reported this year.

In July Mitchells Plain police warned motorists to be on high alert, especially in Dagbreek Road and Weltevreden Parkway.Reports said armed robbers dressed in police uniform were robbing people on the roads. At the time a resident reported an attempted robbery by men dressed in uniform.

In June armed robbers dressed in police uniform targeted an ATM at Promenade Mall, Mitchells Plain, and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Security staff were tied up and assaulted.

In May five men in full police uniform and with handguns entered a jewellery shop in Green Point and told the jeweller they wanted an item made for their lieutenant.

They then stole diamonds, other gems and jewellery worth thousands of rand.

At the time witnesses said the men looked like real police officers and carried radios and firearms - which they did not use.

Four Tanzanians were arrested in May in connection with the Green Point heist and were charged with impersonating police officers and armed robbery.

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Cape Argus

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