But a 29-year-old scrap metal dealer has decided to put all his efforts behind fighting crime, by not buying any goods he suspects carry a stolen tag.
“You won’t believe how many people come here on a daily basis and you do need to keep your wits about you or you unknowingly buy stolen goods,” Mr Leo Markson, owner of a local scrap metal dealer said.
On Friday, April 11 four men entered his scrap metal dealership with copper his administration staff instinctively knew was stolen.
“The women working for me phoned me and said there are two men trying to sell copper, but they had an uneasy feeling. I told them to be careful, stall the deal and get a copy of their ID documents. While they were doing that I called the police who promptly reacted and were on my premises minutes later,” Markson said.
As the police arrived, three suspects made a dash for it, the police gave chase and caught one. The fourth suspect did not have time to flee as Markson grabbed hold of him.
With the two suspects safely in the police van Markson told police that the scrap value of the stolen copper is R8 000, but the real picture is that the R8 000 scrap was derived from material with a commercial value of R66 000.
It was discovered that the copper belongs to Eskom.
“It is people like Leo that make the fight against crime so much easier. This young man is an example for the community and I applaud him for the courage he has shown to say no to buying stolen goods,” Capt Eddie Hall, police spokesperson said.
