Cape Town - The City’s Metro Police Department has slammed the brakes on a number of suspected car thieves.
Since Thursday 21 June 2018, officers have recovered six stolen vehicles.
The most recent success came this morning at just after 06:00 when officers noticed a stationary red VW Golf in Delft. They further observed that the number plate had been tampered with and ran a check via their control room who confirmed that the vehicle was stolen in Strand earlier this month.
A 35-year-old suspect was arrested and detained at Delft SAPS.
On Sunday, officers were conducting a by-law operation in Kensington when a vehicle passing by piqued their interest. They pulled over the driver and, while inspecting the vehicle, noticed that the licence disk and number plates didn’t match. Officers soon discovered that the vehicle had been stolen and arrested the 41-year-old suspect. A further check revealed that the suspect was wanted for housebreaking and theft. His passenger was also arrested on an outstanding warrant.
On Saturday morning, a 26-year-old suspect got more than he bargained for after driving off without paying for his petrol at a garage in Hanover Park. The petrol attendants alerted Metro Police officers who gave chase and cornered the suspect. Not only was he charged with theft, but also possession of drugs and possession of a stolen vehicle after it emerged that the car he was driving had been stolen in Stellenbosch last September.
On Thursday, officers recovered three vehicles in Brown’s Farm, Philippi, bringing to eight the number of vehicles recovered in the same area by the same team over a two-month period. They also arrested a 19-year-old suspect who was caught in the act of stripping one of the vehicles.
"The successes chalked up by the Metro Police department are the direct result of vigilance, visible patrols and reacting to complaints and tip-offs when they come through," said Mayco Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, JP Smith.
"Since July last year, Metro Police have recovered more than double the number of stolen vehicles, compared to the previous year and that is no small feat. We encourage the public to continue assisting us by blowing the whistle on criminals and coming forward with any information that could help us crack down on illegal activity."
The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police officers have recovered at least six stolen vehicles and arrested four suspects in recent days. Picture: City of Cape Town.
Another tip-off from the public led to the arrest of a father and son in Factreton on Thursday for the possession of an illegal firearm as well as ammunition and drugs. The suspects, aged 34 and 56, were arrested and detained at Kensington SAPS.
Elsewhere, the Metro Police Department arrested 29 suspects for drunken driving and possession of drugs.
On the roads, the Cape Town Traffic Service arrested 115 suspects, impounded 33 vehicles and issued 3 773 fines for various offences.
On Saturday, a joint operation between the City’s enforcement agencies and the South African Police Service at public transport interchanges in Delft, Nyanga and Bellville resulted in 21 arrests, including 18 for outstanding warrants. Officers served 171 warrants, impounded 11 taxis and issued 806 fines.
@TheCapeArgus