Brooklyn police warn against false complaints
Police warn community to stop reporting false cases.
Eliot Mahlase
Brooklyn police have warned people to stop laying false charges.
This came after a 33-year-old man was charged with fraud after lying about his wallet being stolen from his car.
“During his statement on 29 January 2016 he said his wallet was stolen after he had parked in Hatfield,” said police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach.
“He left his wallet in his locked vehicle and when he came back, he found his car door opened and his wallet missing.”
Weilbach said the matter was investigated. With the help of the Hatfield city improvement district (CID) and close circuit television footage no proof or burglary was found.
“On Thursday morning, the complainant was called back to the police station to do a physical pointing out of the crime scene to the police,” said Weilbach.
“It was then confirmed that he had lied in his statement and that his vehicle was not parked on the pavement on the day as he stated.”
Weilbach said the complainant was then charged with fraud.
“Brooklyn police want to send a clear message that this kind of criminality will not be tolerated. This tendency especially occurs when people are reporting theft out of motor vehicle cases,” said Brigadier Kushie Nair, Station Commander for the Brooklyn.
“If a person lied to the police, they will have to face the full force of the law. The station appreciates the close collaboration of the Hatfield CID. This improves the safety and security of the bigger Hatfield area. The Hatfield CID is an additional crime fighting resource for the Brooklyn police station,” Nair said.
He said they had an active awareness campaign named “Boot it or lose it” which aimed to make motorist aware of smash-and-grab episodes and to prevent theft out of motor vehicles.
“Any visible loose items that are left inside a vehicle create an opportunity for would-be criminals to commit a crime. Motorists are reminded through this campaign to remove all loose items from the vehicle before travelling,” she said.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
- We have exciting news! We’re offering a free alert to help you always be in the loop. Send an email with the word ‘Subscribe’ to breakingnews@rekord.co.za to receive your free daily breaking news update.
