Robbers caught in act

Commuters are using taxis to get to work during the bus strike.

Five armed robbers who tried to rob a Parow liquor store have more than a babelaas to worry about after City of Cape Town law enforcement officers caught them in the act.

The officers were alerted to a robbery in progress at Optra Liquors on Thursday November 30.

The law enforcement officers had arrived on the scene and arrested three of the suspects in the store and another two hiding nearby.

Law enforcement’s Wayne Dyason said the officers had been on patrol in Parow when they had been alerted to the robbery in progress.

“The officers responded to the scene and entered the store. The cashier informed the officers that the robbers were still on the premises and a quick search by the officers resulted in three suspects being apprehended in the backyard toilet.

“The officers were informed that two other suspects were still at large. The officers searched the surrounding area and found the other two suspects hiding on the premises of a flat next to the bottle store.

“All five suspects were arrested and detained at Parow SAPS on charges of armed robbery. A large knife used by the suspects was also confiscated.”

Goodwood police arrested a man on Monday November 27 for theft out of a vehicle.

Goodwood police spokesman Captain Waynne Theunis said District Watch Security officers called Goodwood police for back-up after apprehending a man in Monte Vista with a sharpened Allen key and other burglary tools.

While officers questioned the man at the police station, two other reports came in of thefts from other vehicles in Monte Vista, near where the suspect had been picked up.

Officers had then secured video footage at one of these crime scenes of the suspect breaking into a Ford Ranger and stealing a crate of tools.

The crate was found in the yard of a nearby home.

The suspect had then taken officers to an address in De La Fontaine Avenue, in Monte Vista, where they found more stolen goods from the Ford Ranger, hidden in a flower bed.

Goodwood police arrested two men and two women on car theft charges on Thursday November 30.

Captain Theunis said officers had stopped a red VW Golf in Socony Road, Goodwood, and found that the licence disc had expired in September 2015 and the engine and chassis numbers had been tampered with.

Traffic officers patrolling in Parow on Tuesday November 21 arrested a taxi driver, 45, who had 95 warrants out for his arrest. He was sentenced to a fine of R20 000 or 20 months in prison.