Cape Town - Law Enforcement officers in Khayelitsha arrested a police impersonator while he was taking a nap in-between robbing unsuspecting residents while pretending to be a cop.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz credited the deployment of 60 Law Enforcement officers in Hanover Park, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Bishop Lavis and Delft through the provincial Safety Plan.
He said while the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officers were on patrol in Khayelitsha, community members flagged them down and tipped them off to a suspect whose modus operandi included impersonating a police officer to rob people.
Fritz said the team acted on the information received, together with the police crime prevention unit, and on arriving at the residence of the suspect, his mother opened the door and told the police and Law Enforcement officers that her son was asleep.
“She called him and allowed the staff to enter. On investigation, a police bulletproof vest, together with a cap and jacket, was found, as well as three rounds of ammunition. The suspect was then arrested and transported to Khayelitsha police station and processed,” Fritz said.
Fritz said he also met with the ward councillor and the station commander on the spate of shooting incidents in Hanover Park. He said that during the meeting, the station commander outlined a detailed safety plan to quell the violence.
Hanover Park ward councillor Antonio van der Rheede said the deployment of the Law Enforcement officers had a positive impact in his area. “Now people can go to their workplaces without being bothered by criminals.” Van der Rheede also commended the way in which the police managed to work with Law Enforcement.
However, Nyanga Community Police Forum chairperson Martin Makasi said shootings had increased in their community and that it was of great concern to them.
“We sincerely hope authorities will attend to this situation and bolster capacity of Nyanga investigators and close co-operation among law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial authority,” Makasi said.
Cape Argus