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Police recover copper plates worth millions in Ekurhuleni, two arrested
Police said they received information about a truck that was hijacked at the N3 De Hoek Toll Plaza in Free State.
Police recovered a trailer loaded with copper plates in Ekurhuleni. Photo: Saps
Police have arrested two suspects and recovered a trailer loaded with copper plates worth more than R6 million in Ekurhuleni.
The suspects were handcuffed in the early hours of Thursday morning, 15 June 2023.
Hijacked truck
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said they received information about a truck that was hijacked at the N3 De Hoek Toll Plaza in Free State.
“Ekurhuleni Trio Task Team together with a private security company immediately responded and went on a lookout for the suspects.
“The information led the police to Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, where two suspects were found offloading the copper plates from the hijacked trailer. The truck was, however, later found abandoned in Heidelberg.”
Masondo said preliminary investigations by police revealed that the suspects hijacked the truck and hooked up the trailer onto their truck, then sped off.
“The arrested suspects will be charged with possession of suspected stolen property and a hijacked trailer while the search is continuing for other suspects,” Masondo said.
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Crime stats
Meanwhile, Gauteng recorded worrying increases in violent crimes between January and March in 2023.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela said overall crime in Gauteng has increased by 2 129 counts compared to the same time last year.
Mawela presented the fourth quarter (Q4) crime statistics for 2022/2023 to the Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety on Wednesday.
Mawela said even though the overall percentage has not gone down, they have made significant progress.
“Gauteng has contributed 27.2% to the overall national crime statistics for Q4 of 2022/2023. It is worth noting that we have observed over the five-year period that this contribution is slightly reducing as in 2019 our contribution was 28,2% which reflects a decrease by 1%.”
Mawela said the “arm of the law has been strengthened by Gauteng’s new 6 000 Crime Prevention Wardens with their high-powered vehicles”.
“They are a most welcomed force multiplier which has hit the ground running,” he said.
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