Cape Town - A Cape Town man undressed, defecated and smeared faeces on face to evade Central City Improvement District and SAPS over the weekend.
The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police Department had several cases in the past week of suspects doing weird and wonderful things to evade arrest. The City’s Metro Police Department made 33 arrests on a range of charges including murder, attempted murder, drug dealing, resisting arrest and drunk driving.
Officers also issued 1553 fines for various by-law and traffic contraventions.
On Sunday 22 March 2020, a couple of suspects in Khayelitsha learnt that lying your way out of trouble doesn’t work.
Officers stopped them during a crime prevention operation in Site C and found five cellphones between them. The duo claimed the phones belonged to them, but when asked to restart the devices, they didn’t know the security codes.
The two men, aged 26 and 28 were arrested for possession of stolen property and detained at Khayelitsha SAPS.
In Kraaifontein on Saturday 21 March 2020, the K9 Unit dealt with a suspect who swallowed his contraband. Officers responded to a call about a person selling drugs on a street corner. On arrival, they spotted the suspect matching the description given, but he moved off and officers saw him putting unknown objects in his mouth.
When asked to reveal what it was, the suspect spat out five mandrax tablets. The 48-year-old was detained at Kraaifontein SAPS.
In the early hours of Saturday in the CBD, a Metro Police CCTV operator spotted a man pushing a trolley down the road, before removing the spare tyre from a white Suzuki vehicle.
They dispatched staff from the Central City Improvement District who found the suspect at Old Marine Drive. He proceeded to undress himself, before defecating and wiping his face with faeces to evade arrest.
But that did not deter SAPS officers who arrived on scene and arrested the suspect for theft out of a motor vehicle.
"The lengths that some people will go to to evade arrest is truly shocking. We are highlighting these incidents to remind the public of the daily challenges that our uniformed staff face in the interest of public safety; not to mention that they put their lives on the line for the rest of us.
"Just last week, we were reminded once more about the dangers of working in safety and security, when our Traffic colleague, Walton Van Rooyen was shot dead during a traffic stop. We owe our uniformed colleagues a greater debt of gratitude and appreciation for the work that they do on a daily basis, because far too often, they are targeted simply for doing their jobs," said Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith.
On the roads, Cape Town Traffic officers arrested 50 suspects for driving under the influence of alcohol, impounded 125 vehicles, confiscated 146 cellphones and issued 50 060 fines for various offences.
The City’s of Cape Town Law Enforcement Department made a further 20 arrests, taking the tally between the three departments to 103. The charges included possession of drugs, possession of stolen property, assault GBH and robbery, among others.
Law Enforcement officers also issued 4 264 fines.