SSOP: Fighting crime on every front

Sector Specialised Operations Patrollers (SSOP) have, in the short time since their formation, made a significant impact on crime prevention efforts in the greater Roodepoort area.

According to SSOP patrol captain Leon Marinus, the past two months saw SSOP members logging nearly 600 hours of collective duty.

“We remain committed to working with police and other structures toward ensuring community safety and responding to incidents across our sectors.

“Over the past two months, our members have responded to and rendered assistance at various incidents, from drunken brawls to domestic violence disputes.

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“Incidents include an attempted murder where an arrest was made, three stolen vehicle recoveries, four house break-ins, two house robberies, a cash-in-transit heist, tracking and tracing of a fuel theft suspect, assisting in the removal of 25 illegal squatters, numerous car accidents and medical emergencies, and a few driving under the influence incidents.

“We’ve also been involved in one arrest where an unlicensed firearm was recovered.”

Marinus adds that in addition to participating in four operations with law enforcement agencies and community groups over February and March, their investigative unit has also helped expose a house robbery syndicate, a vehicle theft syndicate, and is currently engaged in five drug-related investigations.

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“We carry out investigations using cutting-edge technological resources, many of which we developed ourselves,” he says.

“This allows us to identify links between crimes and identify trends, which is meticulously analysed, often revealing the syndicates that lurk in the shadows.”

“We are very proud of the progress we’ve made over the past few months. Our members are very dedicated and passionate about what we’re doing, and our results speak for themselves,” he concludes.