Cape Town - Police were able to arrest three suspects following the murder of an officer in Mfuleni on Sunday, and for wounding his colleague who remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The national commissioner of police, Khehla Sitole, ordered a 72-hour activation plan be mobilised in an effort to bring to book the suspects who shot the two officers on Sunday.
National police spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo said a 52-year-old warrant officer, Hilton Joseph, with 32 years service and a 29-year-old constable with three years service at the Mfuleni police station were on patrol duty at about 10pm when they were shot by a suspect they confronted outside a tavern in Diepwater, Wesbank, Mfuleni.
“I, on being briefed, tasked the acting provincial commissioner of the Western Cape to mobilise crime intelligence, the Hawks, forensics and detectives, as part of the 72-hour activation plan to arrest the suspect,” Sitole said.
This comes a few hours after an off-duty police officer Leyden Finger stationed at Delft police station was stabbed to death in an apparent robbery close to his home in Kleinvlei on Sunday. Finger was stabbed twice while he and a friend were walking home from a tuckshop in Albert Philander Street, in the Conifers, Eerste River, at 2.30am.
On Monday afternoon, police made a break-through in the attack on the two cops as Flying Squad members followed up information that the suspects were in the Delft area. They managed to arrest a 25-year-old male who was being sought on a double murder which was also perpetrated in the Mfuleni area recently.
He was accompanied by the other two suspects at the time of his arrest, who both managed initially to evade arrest. In further pursuit of the suspects, AGU members managed to track them both last night and arrested them. The suspects aged 30 and 31 are expected to make their court appearance in Blue Downs Magistrate’s court on Wednesday, together with the 25 year-old-who is detained on the unrelated double murder.
Sitole has applauded the members for their speedy response in tracing these suspects.
"The importance of the immediate mobilization of the 72-hour Activation Plan cannot be overemphasized. Its effectiveness has once again been proven following the speedy arrest of the three suspects,” said General Sitole.
Police unions, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and SA Police Union (Sapu) condemned the increase of police killings.
Sapu regional secretary Graham Daniels said the attack on police officers cannot not be tolerated. Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said as the union, they are calling for drastic measures to curb the brutal killings.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz also condemned the attack on police officers and said violence has absolutely no place in society.
Premier Alan Winde said the police have assured them that the deployment of the SANDF into certain high-crime areas is having an impact.
“We have seen some results, including an increase in arrests.”
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the deployment of the army working with police has seen scores of criminals arrested during several operations conducted in identified hotspot areas between Thursday and Saturday.
Potelwa said 14 suspects were apprehended for being in possession of eight unlicensed firearms and 59 rounds of ammunition and 20 were arrested for the possession of dangerous weapons.
“A total of 70 suspects were arrested on drug-related charges and 75 wanted suspects are now behind bars. The total number of arrests for the mentioned period stands on 232, while 870 litres of liquor and an assortment of drugs have been confiscated.”
The police have appealed to anyone who has information on the police murder case or crime in general to please contact Crime Stop on 0860010111. Callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated with strictest confidence.
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