TWO police officers are in hot water for allegedly hijacking a truck full of abalone that was meant for export.
The incident happened in August 2022 and after more than a year of investigations, two cops were arrested on Friday, 1 March and are expected to appear in the Somerset West Magistrates Court on Monday, 4 March.
The two officers, aged 33 and 37, face charges of hijacking and theft.
According to Western Cape police spokesman, Captain Frederick van Wyk, a truck transporting abalone from Buffelsjag Abalone Farm in Hermanus to Cape Town International Airport was stopped by cops along N2 near Baden Powell Road in Khayelitsha on 10 August 2022. The cops were in two marked police vehicles with sirens and flashing blue lights and the driver of the truck stopped next to the road.
“The occupants of the police vehicles, who were all dressed in police uniform, confronted the driver and crew member of the truck. Both the crew members were requested to hand their cellular telephones over to the police members.
“Two firearms, a rifle and handgun, were taken from the possession of the one crew members of the truck. The driver was put in the back of one of the police vehicles while his passengers were placed in the back of the other police vehicle and driven away from the scene,” said Van Wyk.
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The cops allegedly dumped the truck crew into a busy area in Mitchells Plain and the truck was recovered at Wolfgat Nature reserve. All the abalone was emptied and a hijacking case was opened.
Investigations uncovered that two marked cops’ vehicles were used by members of Operation Restore on the day of the incident. Further, the aerial vehicle location (AVLs) placed the vehicles at the different crime scenes.
The drivers of the vehicles were identified and their cellular telephone records were obtained. The records of both drivers placed them at or near the different crime scenes. Investigations also established that the cops who had the vehicles were off duty at the time of the incident but were authorised to be in possession of the marked police vehicles.
The two arrested cops are attached to the Sea Point SAPS and the other member to the Anti-Gang Unit, Faure.
Western Cape MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen said it is disappointing that officers that should uphold the law are the ones found on the wrong side.
“It angers me that we continue to have officers who are allegedly making themselves guilty of functioning like the very criminals they should be working to remove from our streets. I am further deeply disappointed that one alleged officer is attached to the Anti-Gang Unit. This unit has such a pivotal role to play in combatting gang activity,” said Allen.
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