Following theft of a volunteer first responder’s cellphone on Sunday, the Drakenstein Farm Watch (DFW) management declared Amstelhof and Chester Williams informal settlement as “Red Zones” by withdrawing their Volunteer Fire Fighters and Emergency Medical Responders.
According to the DFW director, Daan van Leeuwen Boomkamp, these areas will no longer receive volunteer and free Fire and Medical Emergency Services until further notice. This follows a theft incident in which two DFW volunteers were targeted for theft of a company cellphone containing important operational information and contacts.
“A DFW emergency volunteer driving a clearly marked EFAR medical response vehicle was robbed of his cellphone in broad daylight, in full view of eyewitnesses on 13 February,” Van Leeuwen Boomkamp reported.
“…[O]ne of the most dedicated and active medical emergency volunteers of the DFW got robbed of his company cellphone, while returning from a call-out. He had to pull-over on the road to address a minor problem on his vehicle just before the 62 turnoff on the N1.”
The suspect ran up to the vehicle, opened the door and grabbed one of the cellphones. This led to a wild chase in which other DFW fire and rescue teams and Fidelity ADT officers soon joined in attempts to catch the thief.
“The culprit ran into Amstelhof and later hid himself in Chester Williams informal settlement in Swaweltjie Street,” Van Leeuwen Boomkamp related. “It was clear, by the reaction of the community, that most knew exactly who the culprit is. The community recognises him as a regular offender, knowing exactly how often he robs and how the stolen merchandise is then distributed quickly from a known address, making any attempt to retrieve the goods impossible.”
He explained that the Boland K9 Unit was called to scene to assist in retrieving the cellphone once the suspect’s whereabouts were known.
“We were able to apprehend the culprit and found at least five cellphones in his possession. He admitted that one of them belongs to our volunteer. The Boland K9 officers said they were unable to arrest the suspect, since no case regarding theft has been registered with them or Paarl police.”
Paarl East police spokesperson Capt Basil Seekoei was asked if the Boland K9 Unit did respond to the scene of the incident and whether a case of theft has been registered since then. He said there are no records of a case reported for robbery or theft of a cellphone at Paarl East police.
“It is believed the K9 Boland was called out [to scene] and assisted to recover the cellphone as requested by the owner. It is also believed that the incident occurred near the N1 and not in Amstelhof.” Victims of cellphone theft are reminded to report such cases to police. This will ensure more arrests of suspects found in possession of stolen property like cellphones.
