Security officers arrested following shootout

Three reaction officers from Beagle Watch based in Fairland were arrested on charges of attempted murder after a shootout with cable thieves in the early hours of January 22.

According to Beagle Watch’s area manager Cobus Botes, Beagle Watch has a working relationship with a company that has a guard posted at a shopping centre on the West Rand.

“Our control room received a panic signal at 02:38 and a vehicle was immediately dispatched,” said Botes.

Upon arrival, the reaction officer was notified of a group that appeared to be illegally digging for copper cables. The officer investigated and saw seven men digging for cables. He called for backup and two reaction vehicles responded.

“The reaction officers approached and the moment the diggers saw them, they started shooting at them. Our officers had no choice but to return fire. When the smoke cleared, they found one wounded, and followed all the correct procedures to alert their superiors and police about the incident.”

According to Botes, an incident manager in the form of crime specialist, Leon van Zyl was assigned and sent to the scene. Upon arrival, van Zyl found the three reaction officers, one police sergeant, and two constables at the scene.

From the first contact with the Honeydew police, the officers, according to van Zyl, were rude and dismissive toward both van Zyl and his reaction officers (ROs).

“The police officers did not even attempt to investigate. I walked around and found a second wounded person near the abandoned Pikitup site. This suspect admitted that they were trying to steal cables when the shooting occurred. He also admitted that one of the seven men was the one who shot at our officers,” said van Zyl.

“I walked around and found the trench that they had been digging as well as some of the tools they were digging with. When I pointed the trench and the digging tools out, the police officers suggested that I deploy someone to guard the evidence until the day shift arrives.”

Van Zyl said that the police officers on the scene refused to arrest the men, and instead called ambulances to transport them to the hospital.

“They insisted that our officers were in the wrong and arrested them on a charge of attempted murder.”

While there, van Zyl was approached by a resident who had come across three men, who bolted the moment they realised they were seen.

“I investigated and found another wounded man lying hidden 20m from the trench. The men, despite all the evidence at the scene, told police that they were on their way to work, and did not know anything.

“Who goes to work on foot at half past two in the morning?

“The officers let the men be transported to hospital in ambulances without arresting them or placing them under police guard.”

Van Zyl added that the police members neglected to report the attempted cable theft to the special police infrastructure unit, which is what they were supposed to do.

“When the day shift police officers arrived at the scene, they had not been briefed and thus had no idea what was going on. They did not attempt to search the scene, and they did not even have evidence bags. They suggested that I collect the evidence and turn it in at the police station.”

Beagle Watch operations manager Mandla Magagula went to the police station to check on his men.

“I came upon them, stuffed in a cell, their shoelaces and bulletproof vests taken from them, still wearing their uniforms,” said Magagula. “This is downright dangerous. They were stuffed into a cell with criminals who would likely be hostile towards them because of their jobs as crime fighters.”

The ROs were transferred to Roodepoort police later that afternoon.

Beagle Watch management had, in the meanwhile, contacted an attorney to represent the three ROs. Lathan Dixon from Dixon Prokureurs in Pretoria arrived at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on the morning of January 22 and tried unsuccessfully to secure bail for the three security officers.

He returned the next day for their court appearance, only to find out that the case had not yet been placed on the court roll. He managed to speak to a state prosecutor who decided not to go ahead with criminal charges against the three.

The Northsider approached the police’s District Communications Officer, Sergeant Kholo for comment regarding this incident and was informed that, according to the sergeant who reacted to the scene, the ROs were arrested since there was no evidence supporting the claim that the suspects had been illegally digging for copper cable, or that they shot at the ROs.

Watch this space for more as this story develops.

Related Article: Beagle Watch blazes the trail in our communities