Cops 'refused' to help, so robbers went free

Zenbaas

Zenbaas

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29 June 2010, 10:30
By Graeme Hosken
Crime Reporter

Four potential armed robbers are on the loose after a Pretoria security company was forced to release them when police allegedly refused to question or arrest them.

This is despite the four being caught with knives outside the luxury golfing Gardeners Ross Estate in Mnandi, south-west of Pretoria, moments after a perimeter fence alarm was activated on Sunday.

They were caught by IQ Security guards and found in possession of housebreaking equipment.

The estate has apparently been plagued by a string of burglaries in recent months.

Wierdabrug police station members apparently refused to take statements, question witnesses or arrest the suspects.

This has prompted a high-level investigation by law enforcers, and has left police red-faced, especially after assurances by the police chief, General Bheki Cele, that the World Cup and security around it would not affect day-to-day policing.

IQ Security managing director Phillip van Schalkwyk said: "The alarm was activated at 5.30pm. Our guards caught the men just outside the perimeter fence.

"After questioning the men and unable to get information, we contacted the police."

But police from the Wierdabrug police station said they could not help and would contact them the next morning. Only after repeated phone calls to the police station were officers dispatched to the estate - two hours later.

Expecting the suspects to be fingerprinted and questioned, the security guards were in disbelief when the officers allegedly told them it was not their "responsibility" to arrest them. Also, that they (the security guards) would have to house and feed them for the night.

The reason given: the security guards who had arrested the men had gone home because their shift had ended and the officers needed to take statements from them.

"I was in shock, especially when I heard we would have to keep them overnight at our office.

"I immediately contacted the police station, but the policeman I spoke to, who happened to be the officer who came out to the estate, refused to assist me.

"When I asked him why he had not fingerprinted the suspects or taken them in for questioning he said it was not their job.

"I thought he was joking, but when he insisted that it was not his job and that the onus was on me to detain them I asked to speak to his shift commander.

"When I offered to take the suspects to the police station, the captain told me I would be wasting my time as she would not accept the suspects. When I told her I would take them to either Brooklyn, Lyttelton or Pretoria Central police stations she said no one would help me.

"When I tried to ask her why, she passed the phone to another policeman who said his commander no longer wished to speak to me."

Unable to get assistance, Van Schalkwyk phoned his lawyer who said he would have to release the suspects as he (Van Schalkwyk) was breaking the law by detaining them as he had no legal mandate to do so.

Van Schalkwyk said he released the men five hours later and gave their weapons back to them. Wierdabrug police station spokesperson Captain Agnes Human said the allegations were viewed in a serious light and would be investigated immediately.

* This article was originally published on page 4 of The Pretoria News on June 29, 2010
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All that I can say is :wtf:
 
Zenbaas said:
All that I can say is :wtf:
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Think about it. If they had arrested these men what would the police actually be able to charge these dudes with? What proof would they possibly have?

What crime had these men committed? None that I can see. Trespassing maybe if you could prove they had actually breached the perimeter fence but nothing more.
 
porchrat said:
Think about it. If they had arrested these men what would the police actually be able to charge these dudes with? What proof would they possibly have?

What crime had these men committed? None that I can see. Trespassing maybe if you could prove they had actually breached the perimeter fence but nothing more.
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Um... at the very least do a background check and see if they are wanted for anything else.

Nine times out of ten they are out on bail for something.

A guy ran into our Durban branch and grabbed a laptop. They cornered him in an alleyway and he surrendered when fired upon.
Turns out he was out on bail for murder.
 
Garyvdh said:
Um... at the very least do a background check and see if they are wanted for anything else.

Nine times out of ten they are out on bail for something.

A guy ran into our Durban branch and grabbed a laptop. They cornered him in an alleyway and he surrendered when fired upon.
Turns out he was out on bail for murder.
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That is a good point. Couldn't hurt to check on them. What do you charge them with though? As far as I know you can't just take their details and fingerprints unless you have some reasonable grounds. Standing near a perimeter fence is not a crime.
 
We have a law that states they can arrest you if you have the implements to commit a crime and there is reasonable suspiction that you would have commited the crime. Typically if you are walking on street with a broken spark plug you can be arrested and will be sentenced to about 3 years in jail.
 
We watched an individual walk up to our gate, and examine the lock and the chain on the gate.
We then challenged him, asking what he was looking for, he shrugged and walked away calmly.

Nothing we could do.

That night, the people living (holiday letters) here were robbed.
(Luckily we insisted that they put the perimeter alarm on and the loss was nothing more than 2 pairs of shoes left outside)

Nothing we can do.
Did not even bother reporting the theft to the cops.

Meh.
 
This is a case of not thinking laterally - get some shovels and a quite open area. End of story.
 
U can be arrested in terms of section 1 of the criminal procedure act which states u can b arrested if somebody,ie police or a normal civilian,has reason 2 believe u r about 2 commit a crime or they have reason 2 believe u have commited a crime.since they had house breaking equipment on them they could b arrested on the 1st charge
 
porchrat said:
Think about it. If they had arrested these men what would the police actually be able to charge these dudes with? What proof would they possibly have?

What crime had these men committed? None that I can see. Trespassing maybe if you could prove they had actually breached the perimeter fence but nothing more.
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Going equipped for burglary. On suspicion of anything that the circumstances fit? Think man ...
 
bex.cpt said:
I must agree with porchrat. No crime was committed. You can only be arrested AFTER the fact (its the LAW)
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Cr@p

If this happened in NZ, and suspects were caught outside a house, with knives (obviously not the MacGyver or Leatherman type) and in possession of housebreaking equipment and the article says, they would have been locked up. End of story! At least until further investigations could prove these guys were in fact innocent. They have committed a crime, they would be arrested here for attempted housebreaking. And the same should have happened in SA. But it didn’t. In fact in most civilized countries these thugs would have been arrested.
 
A catapult and a ball bearing are awesome. The twats have no idea where it came from and it hurts.
 
snail said:
U can be arrested in terms of section 1 of the criminal procedure act which states u can b arrested if somebody,ie police or a normal civilian,has reason 2 believe u r about 2 commit a crime or they have reason 2 believe u have commited a crime.since they had house breaking equipment on them they could b arrested on the 1st charge
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Arrested maybe. Convicted? I'm not so sure.
 
porchrat said:
What crime had these men committed? None that I can see. Trespassing maybe if you could prove they had actually breached the perimeter fence but nothing more.
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This is despite the four being caught with knives outside the luxury golfing Gardeners Ross Estate in Mnandi, south-west of Pretoria, moments after a perimeter fence alarm was activated on Sunday
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Are YOU going to give "would-be robbers armed with knives" the benefit of the doubt???? *shakes head*

I remember a nice story a while back, where an old retired couple was dragged to court because their Rotweilers killed a "man who jumped their electrified 7 foot wall". Two knives was found next to his body. The state's argumant was "it was not clear that he indeed did intend to commit a crime". Well as you can imagine - What The Fk??

SAME argument here! Those MF's are going to be back...
 
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seventhson said:
People people people. Cops are not here to protect us.
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Heartily AGREE! Cops in SA are mere instruments of the state; and as such ore only there to protect the state's property - in this case 4 valuable anc voters!
 
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