Cable theft attempt foiled in Hillshaven: Five arrested
The Rand West City Security and Monitoring Unit from Public Safety arrested five suspects during a foiled cable theft attempt in Hillshaven.
Five perpetrators were arrested following an attempted cable theft on November 7 in Hillshaven.
Henry Boyce, chairperson of the Randwest Neighbourhood Watch, confirmed the five were arrested on charges of possession of stolen copper cables and tampering with essential infrastructure. A tractor-loader backhoe (TLB) was also impounded.
He noted a 10m cable was recovered and a cable of over 140m was saved.
He explained the arrest happened when the security and monitoring unit members were patrolling in hotspot areas, including Glenharvie and Hillshaven. They aimed to combat cable theft.
Superintendent Malefo and Officer Miller came across a TLB where the five were digging a trench 140m long and about three metres deep.
He stated the Rand West Local Municipality’s Electrical department was contacted but was unaware of any contractors in the area. Malefo and Miller then called for backup upon which the neighbourhood watch arrived along with the police’s Infrastructure Unit from District.
He continued that the suspects as well as the TLB were handed over to the police. They then received information that copper cables were at a residence belonging to one of the suspects. They searched the property and found about 10m copper cables to the value of R45 000.
