Acting spokesperson for the Edenvale SAPS, Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Roberts, said sector vehicles received a call from a community member of a suspicious vehicle parked at Terrace Road Shopping Centre on Sunday evening last week.
“On arrival, officers located the vehicle in question and found that it had five male occupants. The vehicle and its occupants were searched and two unlicensed firearms were found,” Lt Col Roberts said.
Further investigation by police officers revealed that the men were planning to rob three restaurants at the centre.
“It was also found that several of the men arrested were out on bail for similar offences,” Lt Col Roberts said.
He thanked the member of the community for making use of the Edenvale sector police vehicles.
“The response times of the SAPS can be drastically reduced if the community makes use of the resources available to them,” he said.
When contacting the SAPS via the sector police vehicles be clear about what the problem is and stay calm.
“Clothes and vehicle descriptions are extremely important when reporting suspicious vehicles or people,” Lt Col Roberts said,
“Tell police officers where the problem is and try to give officers the make and colour of the vehicle in question,” he said.
The five men appeared in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday last week.
