The City of Cape Town’s Mayco member for Safety and Security Alderman JP Smith reported that, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, law enforcement officers halted an attempted car hijacking in the city centre. More shocking than the hijacking itself is the alleged suspect.
While on patrol in Buitengracht Street at around 3am, CBD deployed officers noted a hijacking taking place at the Caltex petrol station.
The officers used their vehicle to block the escape route of a hijacked white Polo Vivo. While three other suspects in a silver Polo managed to get away, the suspect behind the wheel of the hijacked car was subsequently arrested.
In a twisted turn of events, Smith reported that “information later received suggests that the suspect arrested is believed to be a detective at Rondebosch SAPS, information is being followed up by officials this morning.”
According to Smith, this isn’t the first time a police officer has gone rogue.
This incident follows reports of a person in possession of a stolen vehicle who was arrested by the Johannesburg Metro Police, and was later discovered to be a SAPS member.
“We cannot hold criminals to account if we cannot hold ourselves to account. If any police or enforcement official is proven to have been involved in any form of criminal conduct, they must be prosecuted under the full extent of the law,” concludes Smith.
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Picture: JP Smith / Facebook