Pretoria - Two accused are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today for impersonating Tshwane Metro Police Department officers.
The pair were nabbed near Atteridgeville on Friday in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Law enforcement also found in their possession a signal jammer, blue lights, SAPS-issued firearms holsters, false government number plates and metro police uniforms.
The two were suspected to be truck hijackers.
In a statement, Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said an operation was executed following reports of truck hijackings being rife in the province.
“The multidisciplinary team’s meticulous investigation moved them hot on the heels of the bogus Gauteng traffic officers involved in a spree of truck hijackings in Gauteng,” he said.
“The suspects were alleged to be hijacking trucks while in the guise of conducting random vehicle checkpoints wearing full traffic uniform.
According to Nkwalase, the Hawks, with the assistance of Falcon Risk Solutions, Tracker Connect, the Gauteng Traffic Police Saturation Unit, Gauteng Traffic Police helicopter, and the Insurance Crime Bureau, trapped the suspects and they were taken into custody.
Nkwalase said the joint police team managed to stop and apprehend the duo, both dressed in full Gauteng traffic uniforms, as they were attempting to evade arrest.
Meanwhile, according to Statistics SA, Pretoria was ranked first in the crime index among African cities, with a rating of roughly 82 index points.
The five most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. The index estimates the overall level of crime in a specific territory.
According to the score, crime levels are classified as very high (over 80), high (60-80), moderate (40-60), low (20-40), and very low (below 20).
Meanwhile, a Johannesburg based company, Vumacam, has announced it would be expanding its services to the City of Tshwane, installing more cameras in an effort to combat crime in the metro.
The private CCTV operator announced recently that its network of cameras lets private security companies, the SAPS, and other public law enforcement officials collaborate in fighting crime in real-time while improving the effectiveness of their operations.
The company’s chief commercial officer, Michael Varney, said: “We see high volumes of interceptions per day in Johannesburg through the use of our technology and collaboration with our private security and law enforcement partners.
“While we have just launched the initiative in Tshwane, the response and uptake have already been impressive, and we have no doubt that we will see the tide turn against crime in Tshwane as it has in Johannesburg,” he said.
The company’s technology comprises specialised licence plate recognition cameras that detect suspicious vehicles whose plates have been placed on police or other databases, according to Varney.
Pretoria News