In two separate cases at the weekend, vigilant Mi7 Reaction Officers apprehended suspects for the alleged theft of copper. This comes after targeted interventions were put in place to address the issue in specific areas, like Marburg, being targeted by thieves.
First, during the early hours of Saturday morning, Mi7 Reaction Officers patrolling the Marburg CBD spotted a man carrying a large packet full of items. When the man saw the Reaction Officers approaching, he began acting suspiciously.
Reaction Officers found in his possession large amounts of municipal copper. Asked where he got the material, he attempted to bribe members of the team.
The matter was handed over to the police for further investigation.
Then, later that same morning, while on regular patrols on Industrial Road, Reaction Officers spotted another man carrying packets with copper material protruding. When the man saw Reaction Officers approaching, he dropped the packet and ran.
Reaction Officers picked up the packet and proceeded to chase down the suspect. Once apprehended, he would not say from where he got the copper.
This matter too was handed over to the police for further investigation.
