Busy festive season for security team
The past festive season has been a busy but successful period for the Hermanus Public Protection (HPP) team. Hard work and dedication led to several arrests.
The team managed to make apprehensions in eight separate incidents, ranging from shoplifting to trespassing and everything in between. HPP Supervisor, Juan Havenga was involved in four of these cases.
“Officer Havenga has proven a valuable team member and has already been involved in numerous cases where suspects were apprehended and handed over for arrest in recent months. He was again a thorn in the side for criminals this festive season,” says Marius Boshoff, Hermanus branch manager for Fidelity ADT. The company supports and manages the HPP team.
His first incident involved the apprehension of suspects who poached abalone in Westcliff after they were seen carrying large bags filled with the content. The Department of Environmental Affairs and the SAPS were contacted to deal with the suspects and the abalone was confiscated.
The second incident was one of a more serious nature. It was reported that a suspect had stabbed a member of the public and was trying to flee. This report came in from the Westcliff Neighbourhood Watch team who work closely with the HPP and Fidelity ADT personnel. The suspect was tracked down by Havenga and apprehended in Flower Street, North Cliff shortly after the report was received.
He didn’t stop thereafter he was joined by a colleague, Anovuyo Matshona, who assisted him in catching several suspects found sleeping on an empty property in Westcliff. These suspects were all vagrants trespassing on the property and it was later confirmed that one of them was a well-known burglar involved in several incidents within the footprint.
Finally, Havenga teamed up with Fidelity ADT armed response officer, Kobus van der Walt who over the same period worked together in apprehending two suspects who broke into a hair salon in Chris Hani Street.
“Our CCTV team was also kept busy with a few incidents where they managed to identify suspects who were up to no good in and around Hermanus. Our CCTV operators are in constant contact with our teams and other security role-players on the ground and often serve as the eyes and ears of the greater community,” Boshoff added.
Suspects were spotted in the Hermanus CBD as well as the Hermanus Industrial area after which the closest officers and authorities were alerted by the CCTV operators. The teams managed to stop all suspects and found various stolen items in their possession. All suspects were handed over for arrest and most stolen items were returned to the shop owners while makeshift weapons were confiscated.
“There has been much talk recently around new security measures and entities to be implemented in the Hermanus area. We hope that whatever the community decides, that these HPP members will be able to continue doing the excellent work that they have been known for over the past several years. We are incredibly proud of all our HPP members and I would like to thank them for their hard work and efforts over the busy festive period,” Boshoff concluded.