No festive joy for criminals
PLETTENBERG BAY - Bitou crime fighters worked around the clock to keep visitors and residents safe over the Christmas and New Year's period, leading to various arrests and confiscation of illicit substances and stolen property.
Christmas success
Just after Christmas, on 26 December 2023, the swift response after a tip-off from the public led to not only the arrest of a suspect in possession of drugs, but also the confiscation of various drugs with an estimated street value of R50 000.
Southern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Chris Spies said that members of the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Unit acted on a tip-off from the community in Bossiesgif at about 09:30. Police officers searched the home of a local woman and found 910 Mandrax tablets, 402g of dagga and 35 bankies of tik.
"Police confiscated the find and subsequently arrested the 31-year-old woman who was present during the search. An undisclosed amount of cash, believed to be proceeds of the illicit drug trade, was also seized at the premises,” Spies said.
A case of dealing in drugs was opened which will be investigated by the Western Cape Provincial Organised Crime Investigations Unit.
Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto Oliver praised the officers for their dedication and commitment to crime prevention. "We commend them for their resilient fight against drug distribution."
Good start to the new year
Just into the new year, on 4 January, Smhart armed response officers received a panic notification from a client in Longstone Drive.
It is believed that two suspects gained entry to the home and stole various items. "Upon arriving at the scene, the homeowner gave a detailed description of the offenders and copies of CCTV footage," Olivier said.
At about 14:10 the same day, an urgent request for back-up was received after members of the public arrested a suspect following an incident where a woman was robbed at knifepoint in Robberg Road. PBCPA rapid responders and Smhart security responded to the call and the suspect was arrested.
After assisting with the Robberg Road incident, Olivier said, one of the security officers spotted the Longstone Drive suspect, recognising him based on the information from the homeowner. "They stopped and quickly apprehended the suspect and found a stolen iPhone on the suspect. The 21-yearold suspect also showed where a wallet was hidden and where he got into the house. The suspect was handed over to police."
Police confirmed the incidents.
Scam warning
In the meantime the PBCPA warned residents of a new variation of an old scam. Residents who sold items online fell victim to this over the festive season. Oliver explained that a suspect would contact the seller wanting to purchase the item and ask for banking details. Subsequently an overpayment would be made. In one incident, R9 000 was paid into the seller's account instead of R200.
"Immediately the buyer makes contact and says he or she paid the wrong amount into the wrong account and asks (the victim) to repay it into a specific account," Olivier said. The new aspect to the scam was that the seller checked with his bank and the R9 000 was cleared funds.
Olivier warned residents to check for any red flags. In one case the "buyer" sent banking details to three different accounts and refused to send proof of identification.