Hermanus police arrested a suspect on Monday 11 July 2022 after he allegedly tried to stab law enforcement officers with a knife. This was one of a few incidents reported in and around Hermanus in recent days.
“One of the Hermanus Public Protection (HPP) public safety officers was on patrol in the Voelklip area when he saw that several Overstrand Law Enforcement Officers were busy with a person who was well-known to local authorities. The officer saw a struggle break out and witnessed the suspect reportedly trying to stab officers with a knife before running away,” explains Marius Boshoff, Hermanus branch manager for Fidelity ADT.
The HPP Specialised Response Unit was alerted and asked to patrol the immediate vicinity. They soon located the alleged suspect a short distance away. “Our officers approached the man who proceeded to throw rocks at their vehicle. Law Enforcement was also alerted and asked to assist, and the man was apprehended, and he was charged with attempted murder and malicious damage to property,” says Boshoff.
HPP is a ratepayer-funded initiative in partnership with Fidelity ADT.
In another unrelated incident, a suspect was apprehended after he and a group of alleged accomplices tried to rob a member of the public of his phone and bank card. The alleged robbery was witnessed by the HPP CCTV monitoring team, who alerted local public safety officers to respond.
“HPP officers were assisted by Fidelity ADT armed response officers and local neighbourhood watch members, which led to one of the group of suspects being detained. A large knife was found in his possession, and he was taken into custody by Hermanus SAPS,” says Boshoff.
Meanwhile, another suspect was arrested in a separate case in Westcliff. A WhatsApp message from a local neighbourhood watch alerted the HPP monitoring centre to an unknown person walking in the area. He was later tracked down and found to be in possession of suspected stolen property, reportedly taken from a building site in Canterbury Street. The man was handed over into police custody.
