The superstars of Umhlali police

We arrived in Ballito for a weekend with our kids from Dubai. At about 1am on Friday, January 23, the holiday flat at The Grange where we stayed got burgled. Access was gained by using a fold up stepladder to enter through the kitchen window, the only window with no burglar bars.
The perpetrators used kitchen cloths to pacify Mr Coetzee Snr. and his wife in their sleep while their cell phones, wallets, ID’s and laptop were taken. In their getaway my Toyota double-cab’s keys were also taken.
When they left through the window they were startled by some other residents. They dropped their stash and made a getaway in my bakkie. The police were called and they then took the ladder and the other items to the police station as they could not pinpoint the origin at that time.
At 5am we awoke and with a shock we discovered our losses. At that time we were locked inside the flat as all the house keys were also taken. I then realised my bakkie keys were gone and suspected it to be gone as well. It then turned out to be true. I informed Tracker to start locating my vehicle.
We arrived at the police station and were very well attended to and constantly informed of the progress. What was excellent is the way the police “connected the dots” and related the items recovered on night shift to the bakkie being tracked.
W/O Ngema and his team then teamed up with Tracker and followed the signal to the cane fields near Stanger. By midday the police called to inform me my vehicle had been located with my belongings. The stainless steel safe bolted to the back of the bakkie was forced open.
At 4pm on the same day we had all our recovered items issued to us by a friendly and highly motivated team, clearly satisfied with a successful day’s work.
From a victim’s point of view: Outstanding leadership backed up by strict discipline and a highly motivated team led to a recovery rate of at least 94%. The items not recovered were about R1800 cash, a ladies purse, an iPhone, two fold up chairs and a tent on the back of the bakkie.
These people need to be commended by the local community as they are superstars, each specialising in his own field but functioning as a close-knit team. Some of the names that jump to mind but are not the only ones by all means: W/O Ngema and his team; W/O Vinny Pillay; W/O Rauch Allan; Sergeant S. Govender; Captains Arumugam and Shaik.
Well done Umhlali Saps!
NICK SWART
Middelburg