PORT ELIZABETH, October 19 (ANA) - Police K9 unit dogs and their handlers apprehended several criminals in Port Elizabeth this week, Eastern Cape police said.
"Criminals in Port Elizabeth could run, but certainly not hide, as police, including our K9 colleagues, made sure they were apprehended and put behind bars", Colonel Priscilla Naidu said in a statement.
The theft of copper cables was a continuous problem in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and it had a serious impact on the electricity and telecommunication infrastructure.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Surveillance Unit and the police worked closely in attempting to curb this problem.
At about 10pm on Thursday, the Port Elizabeth K9 unit received information about possible cable theft on the N2 freeway opposite the Baywest Mall.
On response, members met the crew from the NMBM Surveillance Unit who were already monitoring the movements of the suspects. Approximately six suspects were busy stripping the cables from two light poles. Sergeant Volente Baatjies and her dog, German Shepherd Jack, "tactically approached the suspects through the dark dense bushes".
"As they neared the suspects, Sgt Baatjies instructed them to stand still. However, the suspects started fleeing in different directions. Jack was released and he apprehended a 51-year-old male. The street poles were damaged and about 10 metres of underground cable was found nearby. The approximate value is R3000."
The suspect was detained on charges of theft and under the Criminal matters Amendment Act (tampering, damage, theft of essential infrastructure). He was expected to appear in court on Monday.
In a separate incident, three housebreaking suspects were apprehended by the K9 unit and SAPS Mount Road Police Station members. It was alleged that at about 3.30am on Friday morning, Mount Road police officers were patrolling in the Cape Road when they noticed people inside a pizza shop.
When they stopped, three men ran out. One suspect, aged 36, was immediately arrested while the other two managed to run away. Back-up was requested and Baatjies and Constable Angelo Windvogel from the K9 unit responded with their dogs Jack and Dorn, a Dutch Shepherd Dog.
The two suspects were spotted running into a yard in 6th Avenue and jumping a wall. When the two suspects ignored the warnings to stop, Jack and Dorn were released and both suspects, aged 20 and 30, were arrested.
In the past eight months, Jack has apprehended 21 suspects. All three suspects are detained on a charge of housebreaking and would appear in court on Monday, Naidu said.