Two men were caught red-handed trying
to steal copper cables in the early hours of yesterday morning by police in
Algoa Park.
At approximately 02:00, police
K9-unit members, accompanied by police dog, Bentley, were patrolling in an area
that has been marked as a hot spot for copper cable theft when they noticed two
males fiddling with lamp poles in Old Uitenhage Road and pushing it over a
fence.
Police spokesperson, Col.
Priscilla Naidu, said that when the members stopped their vehicle, the men ran
in different directions. “Bentley and his K9-handler pursued
them into dense bushes. Bentley apprehended a 29-year-old suspect who
was armed with a long kitchen knife. The second suspect managed to flee. A hacksaw
and pair of pliers were confiscated,” Naidu explained.
“The theft of copper cables is
an ongoing problem across the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The suspect was detained under the Criminal Matters
Amendment Act – damage to essential infrastructure,” she added.
He will appear in the New Brighton Magistrates Court tomorrow.
Source: SAPS media statement
