Protecting and serving, K9 members help elderly lady
“I opened the back door to take stuff off the seat and accidentally locked the back door”
A woman from Krugersdorp was visiting her daughter when she found herself in a predicament. Luckily two friendly and helpful police officers were on hand to help.
Helen Engelbrecht said she was visiting her daughter in Randfontein on 1 October.
“I opened the back door to take stuff off the seat and accidentally locked the back door,” she explained.
It was only then that she realised she had locked her car keys inside. As she was trying to figure out how to get the keys out of the car, a crowd started gathering to see if they could help the almost 80-year-old woman and her daughter.
“The cops came driving down the road and stopped. When they jokingly asked me if I was trying to steal the car, I said yes,” she laughed.
The two officers reversed their car and stopped behind Helen’s car to help her.
“They fiddled with the car for about 20 minutes. They could see I was in a state and they kept joking and trying to calm me.”
Eventually the two officers from the West Rand K9 unit opened the door and gave Helen back her car keys.
“They need a pat on the back. I wanted to give them something to thank them, but they just said it was their duty. They were so honest and nice,” she said.
Photos: Natasha Pretorius.
Helen forgot to take their names and sent a message to the sector police number to see if she could find them again. Eventually she turned to the Krugersdorp News to thank them publicly.
“The police sometimes have a bad reputation and I felt that they needed to be thanked; the community should know that there are members out there who go above and beyond their duty.”
Who are these two helpful police members? The News tracked down Sergeant Mzwake Madonsela and Sergeant Joel Kgatlampe, who helped Helen get back her keys.
Sergeant Madonsela has been with the K9 unit since 2006 and he works with his dog Leila, while Sergeant Kgatlampe has been there since 2008. His dog’s name is Trigger.
Both sergeants agree that the best part of their job is to protect and serve, adding that when you deal with the community you need to be sincere and understanding. Although not every encounter with the community is as positive as the one with Helen, they agree that mutual respect among officers and the community is of vital importance.
