An off-duty SAPS cadet, who was newly recruited to the police force, sprang into action when she was alerted to suspicious activity at an ATM on Somtseu Road near North Beach in Durban yesterday morning.

The police woman was recently deployed at Point SAPS as part of Project 10 000 – a recruitment drive to sign up new cadets to the police force.

According to Captain Muzi Maphumulo, spokesperson for Durban Central SAPS, the member secured the arrest of three suspects who were in possession of R60 370 in cash, 32 Sassa cards, nine Ithala cards, 10 Easy Pay cards, one Nedbank card, two Capitec cards and four cellphones.

“We want to highlight that this member is one of the new recruits from Project 10 000, and we are very proud to see her doing such magnificent work. We want to encourage other recruits to do the same,” he says.

Maphumulo says the off-duty police officer was in the vicinity when she was alerted to suspicious activity.

“The member went to [Somtseu Road] and found three women busy withdrawing money at the ATMs using various cards. The member asked for backup from a Metro Police vehicle which was passing by,” says Maphumulo.

The officer introduced herself to the suspects and inquired what they were doing.

“[She] did not get a clear response. The three suspects were found in possession of various cards and cash that was already withdrawn. They were immediately placed under arrest, and the [suspected] fraudulently obtained property was seized,” concludes Maphumulo.

More on Project 10 000

Speaking at the Project 10 000 Passing-out Parade in Tshwane on December 13, 2022, Police general Bheki Cele said the project was a response to the Presidential call during the State of the Nation Address in February last year to bolster the capacity of the SAPS.

“This called on us to recruit and train an additional 12 000 new police personnel, to strengthen our policing capacity and enhance police visibility in general. On April 1, 2022, following a rigorous recruitment process, 10 000 were called up and ultimately, 9 831 young men and women presented themselves to various police academies across the country,” said Cele.