A date night not to be forgotten

Let’s just call this story ‘a date night with the Flying Squad’.

Recently News journalist Jacobus Myburgh was given the opportunity to observe what police officers of the Gauteng Flying Squad gets up to on a daily basis, and although his observation lasted only about three hours, what he saw and experienced made shivers run down his spine.

“When the police arrived at my home just after 7pm, I was quickly scanning my residential street in Witpoortjie, Roodepoort in a bid to make sure that no one noticed me getting in the car – we don’t want any stories going around of me being arrested now do we?” laughs Jacobus.

As he got in he’s met by two heavily armed officers, whose names he’s not allowed to make public for their own safety. He immediately noticed all the two-way radios going off with different voices about crime incidents – all while they listen to music being played softly in the background.

“I have been doing this for so many years, my ears have become like a sieve where I take in only that I deem to follow up on,” one of the officers explained while they were heading towards Krugersdorp.

In Krugersdorp they made a few stops in the infamous Sivewright and Luipaard Streets as well as ‘visiting’ the alleged newly infested Nigerian drug hub Roode Street in Burgershoop.

“The Nigerians did not even make any attempt to run in various directions.”

They have become so accustomed to seeing them there, Jacobus is told.

“Whenever we have time to kill we would conduct a search operation on them,” an officer says.

There were a few last minute checks of Krugersdorp before they drove to several other parts on the West Rand including areas such as Newlands and Fourways.

“Only get out the vehicle when you get instructions to do so from us,” the police officer told Jacobus.

“And if there is a shootout I will make my bulletproof-vest available to you. Just make sure you lie flat in the backseat of the vehicle.”

But so far, so good.

“No criminal activities in our immediate surroundings were reported,” says Jacobus.

After catching two men in Newlands, who seemed to have called over a prostitute, the police officers told the alleged prostitute to go.

“You are new right?” she asked me while trying to make small talk after I was allowed to disembark from the vehicle.

“I just looked at her, not knowing what to say I just smiled back.”

A bottle of liquor was found in the vehicle and the police officers disposed of this. They then headed back to Roodepoort and stopped in the parking lot of a nursery on Ontdekkers Road.

“It seems it’s a quiet night,” as I got offered a sandwich. “Lunchtime for night shift police officers I reckon.”

The next moment, just before 10pm, there is some noise on the two-way radios. An apparent hijacking of two vehicles have just taken place at Chelsea Avenue in Silverfields and although details were quite sketchy they gave chase believing the Ford Fiesta vehicle they just spotted driving along Ontdekkers Road is one of the cars that were taken.

“Not knowing what we will encounter I was starting to stress as I do not want the bulletproof-vest, I will not be able to live with myself in the event that a police officer gets killed trying to protect me,” Jacobus said.

“This is what we do, that is our job,” the officer told Jacobus earlier when asked why they do this, how they handle stress and knowing their families are waiting for their safe return.

“When out in the field I try not to think much about them, but more about the safety of them and other South Africans who are sound asleep.”

It turns out the vehicle they chased was not the vehicle hijacked and Jacobus gave a sigh of relief.

“This incident, I later learnt, was the death of a husband and father Thomas Cope, 67, who was killed with a crowbar. The local police were busy investigating the matter, as we headed towards Krugersdorp one last time before I am dropped off at home.”

The only thing the police officers dislikes about this job is the constant sitting in the vehicle, “you get tired of driving so much”.

While in Krugersdorp the squad spotted a young girl in her early 20s getting into a white car.

The perpetrator was quite shocked when he noticed the police officers. They investigated and they got to hear that the man, a paramedic from Noordheuwel, had an altercation with his wife.

“I don’t know why I came here, I guess because I am angry,” he told Jacobus.

“This is not something I do, I don’t know why I decided to come here, I am a decent man,” he said explained that he has children too.

The police officers scolded the young girl asking why she is throwing her life away like this.

“I got back into the vehicle, so much to take in as we headed back to Witpoortjie. As I lie in bed, I am thinking of what had happened in a short space of time, hoping the police officers will be safe before saying a short prayer thanking them for putting their life before others like me.”