Cape Town - Over the weekend, the City of Cape Town’s Leap (Law Enforcement Advancement Programme) officers and metal theft unit officers brought several criminals to book.
The City’s Law Enforcement Inspector, Wayne Dyason, said that on Saturday metal theft unit officers received information about three suspects who had stolen three metres of electric cable and 13 bundles of copper wire.
“They had made their way to a house in Montclair Road. The officers made their way to the location and found the suspects in possession of the alleged stolen property. All three were arrested and charged at Mfuleni SAPS.”
Metal theft unit officers also reacted to a complaint about Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) cable being stolen in Berkley Road, Maitland.
“On arrival two male suspects fled and the officers gave chase. Both suspects were caught in Royal Road and eight meters of cable was recovered.”
In a separate incident, LEAP officers were on patrol in Sheffield Road, Marikana, Philippi when they spotted four suspects with a home-made ladder next to an electricity pole. They stopped to investigate and saw the suspects were busy with an illegal electricity connection.
Dyason said that all of the suspects were arrested and charged in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act.
On Sunday, three cable thieves had their getaway foiled when metro police officers responded to a complaint about cable theft in progress at Nyanga railway station.
Officers found the suspects, aged between 30 and 33 in possession of railway copper cable.
They were detained at Manenberg police station.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith said: “The attack on infrastructure, particularly of the rail network, is relentless. The speedy reaction of the metro police officers is commendable, but it is imperative that the criminal justice system secures convictions and lengthy jail terms for cable thieves.
“This will send a message that cable theft and other infrastructural damage cannot be condoned. Apart from the massive impact on communities, it continues to hamper our economy at a time when we can ill afford it.”
Cape Argus