Like a Swiss clock, security officers attached to Gordon’s Bay Security (GBSEC) along with other Law Enforcement agencies worked together to rescue a two-year-old boy who was in a Toyota Avanza that was allegedly hijacked outside a school in Grabouw on Friday, 6 May.
According to GBSEC’s chief operating officer Heyns de Waal, who shared the whole ordeal on Facebook, every available and even unavailable police, security, traffic, and Metro Police vehicle, neighbourhood watch and farm watch were activated to ensure the boy’s safe return.
“The call was made to GBSEC and Gordon’s Bay SAPS from Grabouw SAPS because the first information was that it was travelling in our direction. Soon afterwards we stood down. Overberg area cameras picked up the vehicle moving towards Hermanus,” explained de Waal.
Then, at 3:45 pm, an urgent alert went through. The hijacked vehicle was fitted with a tracking device and the link was patched through to one of their specialised tracking vehicles. The hijacked vehicle’s new route indicated the hijackers had passed Kleinmond and were heading towards Betty’s Bay.
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De Waal further indicated that a network of organised chaos then erupted with another alert from Overberg at 03:47 pm, confirming that their cameras also picked up the vehicle in Kleinmond.
“The whole planning and implementation took only minutes with the safety of the child on everyone’s mind throughout the planning phase,” de Waal reported. The plan was to deploy an unmarked GBSEC tracking vehicle as an advanced interceptor to an undisclosed location and to wait for the Avanza, fall behind it at a distance and relay the hijacker’s movements.
At 04:11 pm, the unmarked GBSEC vehicle got its eyes on the target and fell into position. The movements of the hijackers were relayed to the team of GBSEC and Gordon’s Bay SAPS members setting up the ever-growing roadblock, strengthened every few seconds by more SAPS officers and Metro Police specialised units.
De Waal went on to say that as the vehicle was nearing the last bend it came to a complete standstill.
“Hearts pounding in their chests, each member knew which door is his, who does what and who grabs the child no matter what happens around him. Doors were forced open, the suspect slammed to the ground, and the child was grabbed and rushed to a waiting GBSEC medical response vehicle which left the scene within seconds while GBSEC and SAPS members secured the suspect and scene.
“The child was taken to Gordon’s Bay SAPS where female officers waited at the ready and took the child into the victim support room prepared with fresh nappies and clean clothes assisted by some neighbourhood watch ladies,” de Waal added.
The 2-year-old boy was first thoroughly examined by GBMED rescue medics before the call was made: “Child recovered unharmed”.
“The whole fleet of Overberg SAPS and K9 units that started the pursuit towards Hermanus joined their colleagues from this side of the mountain, all wanting to see the child safe for themselves as to give some closure to this intense nerve-wracking Friday, congratulating each other with hugs and fist pumps,” de Waal said.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old male suspect was arrested for the theft of the vehicle and for kidnapping. He is being detained at Gordon’s Bay SAPS.
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Picture: Gordon’s Bay Security/ Facebook