A 35-year-old man was arrested after a high-speed car chase in Grassy Park at the weekend.
The man was expected to appear in court after he was handed over to the SAPS by metro police and was charged, mayoral committee member (Mayco) for Safety and Security JP Smith said.
“Metro police officers recovered a stolen vehicle after a high-speed chase this weekend – it was one of at least six stolen vehicles recovered in the last two weeks. The suspect arrested in the latest incident was one of 398 arrests made by the City’s enforcement agencies in the past week. Metro police were conducting a vehicle checkpoint in Grassy Park on Sunday morning just before 10am when a driver refused to stop, and instead sped off,” the City said.
Officers caught up with the suspect in Victoria Road, and soon discovered why he tried to get away – the vehicle had been reported stolen in Delft.
At the weekend, officers also recovered a Toyota Avanza and Renault Kwid that had been hijacked in separate incidents – the Kwid was found parked outside the metro police base in Philippi – as well as a stolen motorbike in Eerste River, after receiving a tip-off.
“In the first quarter of this financial year, metro police officers recovered 10 stolen vehicles. Now, in just the space of two weeks, they’ve had a hand in recovering at least six vehicles. Vehicle theft is unfortunately one of the many challenges that we face, but I also urge the public to please be cautious. Park in secure areas where possible, check that your car is locked and be very vigilant while on the road. What’s also of interest and concern is that at least one of the stolen vehicles linked back to a Johannesburg case, as well as a firearm recovered by our traffic officers. I do hope that the police investigations into these matters are able to provide some clarity on how these items ended up in our city,” said Smith.
During general enforcement efforts in the past week, the metro police made 102 arrests, including 19 for driving under the influence. Officers also issued 3 960 traffic and by-law fines.
Smith said Cape Town traffic officers recorded 64 550 offences in the past week, made 60 arrests (48 for drunk driving and 12 for reckless and negligent driving), impounded 296 vehicles and executed 3 272 warrants of arrest.
At a vehicle checkpoint in Mitchells Plain, 31 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol – the highest reading was 2.19mg/1000ml – nearly 10 times over the legal limit.
Cape Times