Members from the Hermanus Public Protection (HPP) team managed to apprehend four suspects in two separate incidents this week.
The first incident, on Tuesday 2 February 2021, saw two suspects being nabbed after they allegedly stole clothing from a local store.
Hermanus Public Protection (HPP), is a ratepayer funded initiative in partnership with Fidelity ADT.
“HPP Specialised Response Unit officer Bantu Gqibilizwe received an alert from one of his colleagues, describing how two suspects had reportedly stolen a piece of clothing from a shop on Mitchell Street, before fleeing towards East Cliff.
Officer Gqibilizwe used the information he was provided to quickly track down the suspects and apprehend them,” says Fidelity ADT’s branch manager for Hermanus, Marius Boshoff.
They were taken back to the shop, where the store manager positively identified the suspects as well as the stolen piece of clothing.
In a second incident that same day, the Hermanus control room received a call from Fidelity ADT Area Manager, Donovan van der Westhuizen at approximately 10pm.
Reporting that a member of the community saw two suspects fleeing with a stolen laptop and cables in North Cliff and that he needed assistance and back up from the HPP and Fidelity ADT team.
“Donovan was off duty at the time but still managed to pick up the incident and respond. He is someone who always goes the extra mile for our customers and is passionate about keeping Hermanus safe.
Donovan has been involved in several incidents over the years where he has assisted residents in need or caught criminals in the act,” explained Boshoff.
The HPP CCTV camera operators started tracking the movements of the two suspects while sharing this information with the responding officers as well as Hermanus Neighbourhood watch responders.
It was at that time that a confirmation was received that a home in the area had earlier been burgled.
“Donovan and his Fidelity ADT and HPP colleagues used this information to pursue and soon apprehend both suspects, despite the fact that the two had split up and fled in different directions. Both were handed over into the custody of Hermanus SAPS.
“Well done to everyone involved in this week’s successful arrests. It shows again how modern technology together with committed and dedicated personnel can form a winning team in the fight against crime,” says Boshoff.
Hermanus Public Protection (HPP) is a non-profit company (NPC), established to provide public safety and top-up cleansing services in a geographical designated area of Hermanus, Western Cape.
It is funded by the ratepayers through the Overstrand Municipality Special Rating Area By-law and Policy. Visit https://hpp.org.za/ for more info.
