Suspects in mock farm attack caught within the hour

AT 4.06pm last Wednesday, the radio at Vryheid SAPS’ Joint Operations Centre (JOC) crackled to life.

An urgent plea for help came bursting through, interrupting the afternoon silence. Etienne Grobler’s farm in the Khambula area had been ‘attacked by armed robbers’ and Etienne had been ‘taken hostage’.

Manning the radios at JOC, acting station commander, Lt Col Allan Westermeyer immediately sprang into action, mobilising the Khambula Farm Watch, the Buurtwag, KwaZulu Private Ambulance, the Farmers’ Union and several police units, including Vispol, Detectives, Crime Scene specialists, the Dog Unit, Stock Theft Unit and Public Order Policing.

Within minutes, there were lookouts manning every possible route the attackers could take in their attempt to escape AbaQulusi.

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Some members of the Khambula Farm Watch and the Buurtwag had blocked off roads and lay in wait, while other members and the police were hot on the trail. KwaZulu Private Ambulance remained on high alert in case there were reports of injuries or collisions.

Lt Col Westermeyer, co-ordinating the efforts of all emergency personnel, used radios to relay messages as to when and where the getaway vehicle was spotted. At one stage, Khambula Farmers’ Association’s Head of Security, Ken Taylor, was able to determine the direction in which the vehicle was heading, by examining tyre tracks in the mud.

At 4.43pm, 37 minutes after this simulated farm attack was put into action, the suspects were caught and Etienne was in the safe care of the Buurtwag. All the relevant role players were able to give themselves a pat on the back, knowing that they were properly prepared in the event that an actual farm attack had to take place.

Only Protection Services and the Road Traffic Inspectorate had failed to respond.

Vryheid SAPS media liaison officer, Captain Cheryl Venter, said that this kind of mock exercise would take place within every six-month period to iron out any response issues that may arise in preparation for an actual farm attack.

“This was a mock exercise that we set up to assess how well all the relevant role players would react in the event of a farm attack. The various police departments were being monitored closely by the cluster commander, and will be given feedback on their performance. They will then have to show improvement when the next mock exercise takes place. There is no point in learning from the mistakes you make while responding to an actual farm attack. We want to correct those mistakes now, so that if an actual farm attack had to take place, everything will go smoothly,” explained Captain Venter.

Issues that were picked up included the identification of certain areas where communications went down due to poor signal, and the fact that police could end up chasing ‘ghost suspects’ when members of the community were asked if they had seen a vehicle that matched the description of the one the suspects were using.

Mr Taylor believes that the pro-active approach which the Khambula Farmers’ Union has adopted with regards to crime, is the reason there hasn’t been a farm attack in his area since at least 2012, when the Farm Watch was established.

“Every farm has a radio that can be operated by remote control. The radio has a panic button, which, when activated, sends a pre-recorded message out indicating the name of the farm, the farmer and the farmer’s wife when an attack is taking place. The panic buttons are tested once a month and we have our own simulated practices four times a year. Each member has a dedicated reporting point that he must man as a lookout. Everyone has been well-trained and they know exactly where to go, what to look out for and what to do if they see anything suspicious,” said Mr Taylor, who used to serve as a member of the Commandos.

“This is purely a voluntary service that is co-ordinated by people who are committed to the safety of the community. I was born in the Khambula area and, for me, it’s also about giving something back through something I enjoy doing. During this exercise, there was very good co-operation and that is part of the reason why this area is so safe. Everyone works together.”

Asked if he had any advice regarding safety, Mr Taylor said, “Make sure your communication is good. Whatsapp is not always reliable so have other plans in place to be able to call for help when you need it. Don’t go outside your house to investigate a suspicious noise, rather lock yourself inside your house securely. In the four farm attacks in which people were killed this year, these victims had gone outside to see what was going on. Finally, don’t switch on the lights because the robbers are made aware of where you are in your house.”