Springs SAPS veteran policeman to retire after 41 years of service
With only one month left, Lubbe implored the younger members to never give up and to seize the many opportunities in the SAPS to further their own empowerment.
Colonel Marius Lubbe will gracefully bow out from the Springs SAPS next month to retire after serving an uninterrupted 41 years and five months in the organisation.
Lubbe, who will celebrate his 60th birthday on May 3, left an indelible mark and a colourful track record in the police force he joined when he was 18.
Three years ago, when he joined the Springs SAPS, Lubbe was asked what his plan was. He said he had vowed to solve crimes.
“I can say that since then, there have been improvements in all categories of crime,” said Lubbe.
The categories Lubbe played a major role in to reduce crime were contact crimes (murder and assaults), property-related crimes (theft of motor vehicles and burglaries), and economic crimes (fraud and cybercrimes).
“In all of them, the detection rate went up between 10% and 20%. That’s an improvement from past years,” said Lubbe.
“Moreover, the conviction rate was between 89% and 92%. Even though we have just a handful of detectives left after losing some along the way due to early retirements, transfers and deaths, we are performing excellently.”
The married father of three sons attributed his success and sacrifices in the police force to the unwavering support from his family.
Lubbe said it was easy to pursue his vocation because he came from a family that worked in the police force.
“My father, wife and four brothers were police officers. For 73 years, there was a Lubbe in the police force, and with me leaving, that era is coming to an end,” Lubbe stated.
Hoping to get the upper hand in the fight against crime, Lubbe pleaded with the community to become active police informants.
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“We are facing a huge issue. Only the CPF supports the SAPS. The public does not provide us with enough information.
“As registered informants, they will remain anonymous, and if the information is valuable, they will be compensated accordingly.”
With one month left for Lubbe, he urged the junior members to never give up and to grab the abundant opportunities in the SAPS to empower themselves.
