Laudium police arrest five for possession of copper cable

The Laudium police arrested five suspects for possession of copper cables and tampering with essential infrastructure on the notorious R55 on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Simon Chokoe said while police were doing their regular stop-and-search operations they spotted three of the five men carrying a huge luggage bag.

“Police spotted the three suspicious men carrying luggage on their shoulders, police ordered them to stop but they ran away.

“While the police were chasing the three, they noticed a white Hyundai truck driving at high speed,” Chokoe said.

He said police stopped and searched the vehicle and found a big red plastic bag containing uncovered electric copper wire.

Chokoe said a case of possession of uncovered electric copper cables and tampering with essential infrastructure was opened against all five suspects and it is being been investigated by Laudium police.

Laudium police commander Colonel David Sithole said the SAPS will continue with visible patrols and searches around the area to ensure that the community feels safe.

“I want to applaud members of the police for their tireless commitment in fighting and combating crime at all times. We urge the community to continue to work closely with the police in fighting crime,” Sithole said.

Meanwhile, the crime prevention unit gave crime prevention tips to locals at the weekend as part of its 16 Days of activism against abuse.

Chokoe said the aim was to teach residents how to prevent what he called a trio of crimes.

“The team gave to residents crime prevention tips for gender-based and domestic violence. The community was also encouraged to report any sort of abuse to the police,” said Chokoe.

Laudium resident Banele Mgujulwa told Rekord he felt safe when he sees the police on every corner so he appreciated such visibility.

“This is a very nice thing to see, but police should do this kind of operation more often because crime takes place every single day – not just during the festive season.

“I appreciate this effort from the police but it’s something that they must do all year round, we understand that they don’t have resources but at least once a month,” Mgujulwa said.

Chokoe assured residents that police were working around the clock making sure that they keep residents safe.

“We also urge residents to work with police and report any activities that are suspicious and anyone they suspect of involvement in criminal activities.

“Police community partnership is very important as it’s one way of combating crime, police are not the community’s enemy, so we need to work hand in hand in order to be able to live in a safe and crime-free environment,” he said.

READ ALSO: MMC encourages residents, police to fight GBVF together

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