Beware bogus police, residents warned
Two criminals pretending to be police officers rob schoolchildren of their cellphones.
Residents in the west of Pretoria have been warned by police to be on the lookout for anyone pretending to be police officers.
This after two schoolchildren were robbed by men pretending to be police officers near a church in Danville Extension 1.
According to one of the victims, they were stopped by a car with two men inside.
The men presented badges, claiming they were on an investigation looking for a drug dealer.
“We were on our way back home from the shops,” the learner said.
“We got curious and asked that if they were, in fact, police then why weren’t they wearing any uniforms.”
The “officers” then insisted on checking the learners’ cellphones for the contact details of the so-called drug dealer they were looking for.
They then drove off with the cellphones.
Local crime activist Eric Cordier said there has been a number of robberies in the area of late.
“The municipality does not clean the area or maintain the bushes which it makes it easy for people to get robbed,” he said.
“Criminals take advantage of quiet areas where they rob residents. People should be careful at all times.”
“I tried to speak to the police about this problem. Hopefully, next week they will come up with a solution on how to stop these perpetrators.”
Frik De Bruin from the XseBlixsem NPO said residents must remain vigilant.
“Any type of crime can happen right on our doorsteps due to the massive loss of income because of the lockdown.”
“Covid-19 restrictions have now left the community more vulnerable.
“The community must be prepared to react and protect each other. It is very important to get to know your neighbours.”
Pretoria West police told Rekord they were aware of the incident.
“Now that a case has been opened, we hope to catch the perpetrators,” said police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma.
Vuma said police officers carry proper ID such as badges and cards with the officer’s photo, name, surname and rank.
“Should the officer seem suspicious, community members can call 08600-10111 or their local police station to verify the authenticity of the produced ID.”
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