New Plett burglary task team yielding success

PLETTENBERG BAY - Police recently launched a new burglary task team following a spike in crime in Plett and it is already paying dividends.

Concerned about the increase in burglaries in the usually tranquil tourist-centred town, Plett police management called a meeting with various security stakeholders about three weeks ago. It was decided to launch a burglary task team spearheaded by a group of local detectives.

"Plett is a well-known holiday destination. Unfortunately, all crime has a severe impact on our very fragile tourism industry," said Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto Olivier, praising local police management for taking a proactive approach in dealing with this issue.

About a week after this initiative was rolled out, Olivier said that it was already yielding success. "The cohesion among security and emergency partners resulted in positive outcomes."

One of these successes came with the arrests of three "career criminals".

An alert of a break-in in progress was received on the PBCPA reaction group around midday Friday last week. Local security company Smhart Security was first on scene followed the PBCPA’s K9 unit.

"The suspects fled the scene. A meticulous search of the area followed.

“Around 12:50, three suspects were apprehended by the Plett K9 unit," Olivier said.

The suspects showed the burglary task team where the stolen goods were stashed. The suspects were placed under arrest by the police burglary task team.

After further investigation, it was determined that all three suspects can be linked to other recent burglaries.

"It is of the utmost importance that everyone should stay vigilant with their crime prevention strategies at their homes, workplace, and most importantly, in public places," Olivier warned.

Plett police confirmed the burglary and subsequent arrests.