The Kraaifontein Community Police Forum (CPF) has appealed to residents to help the police and not criminals after residents interfered with the arrest of a man in Scottsdene.
Police confiscated a gun from a man in Carmen Street, Scottsdene, close to where two men were killed in the area on Sunday, but when they tried to arrest the man the residents tried to free him. (“Man caught with gun in Scottsdene”, Northern News, April 13).
City law enforcement spokesman Wayne Dyason said the man had been arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm and five rounds of ammunition, in a joint operation between law enforcement and SAPS, on Wednesday April 12.
“Officers were acting on a tip-off of an armed individual in the area and made their way to the residence,” Mr Dyason said.
The suspect ran into a house, and, when officers gave chase, he fled from the property.
“The suspect was caught in an adjacent road by the officers and brought back to the house, where police officers were waiting. A search of the house revealed the firearm and ammunition, and the suspect was arrested by police,” Mr Dyason said.
But as police escorted the man to the van, things became heated.
“The officers encountered resistance from some sections of the community who were intent on freeing him,” Mr Dyason said. “The officers called for urgent back-up and they could only leave the area safely with the suspect once the reinforcements arrived.”
The man was taken to Kraaifontein police station and charged.
“It is disappointing that some sections of the community choose to protect those who would do harm to that very community,” Mr Dyason said.
When the Northern News visited the area shortly after the incident, residents were reluctant to talk to the press. A small crowd had gathered in front of one of the houses in Carmen Street but started scattering when the reporter started asking questions.
A woman at the scene said that a man had been arrested but agitatedly declared that no shots had been fired.
Carmen Street runs into Joseph Avenue, where a man was shot dead on Sunday April 9. Within less than an hour of that shooting, another man was killed in Cavaleria Avenue, which also runs into Joseph Avenue. (“Two men shot dead in Scottsdene”, Northern News, April 11).
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel André Traut, said the first shooting had happened at 3.15pm.
“A 26-year-old male was shot and killed,” he said.
Twenty minutes later, a 32-year-old man was killed in Cavaleria Avenue.
Police could not confirm if the two shootings were connected but said no one had been arrested.
CPF chairperson Mawethu Sila appealed to the community to assist police.
“Crime is very rife in Kraaifontein,” he said. “ We cannot allow a situation where the police can’t do their job because the community is not assisting them. This is the same community that complains about the police not doing their job. We can’t condone that. We appeal to the community to assist the police to apprehend suspects,” he said.
* A man was robbed of his bakkie at gunpoint, in Bracken Heights, on Tuesday April 11. The man had pulled up at his Brand Crescent home when he noticed a white VW Polo driving past.
An armed man jumped from the Polo, pointed a gun at the man and demanded his bakkie’s keys.
According to Captain Erica Crous, of Brackenfell police, another man had climbed into the white Bantam bakkie’s driver seat by then. The armed man got into the passenger seat and they sped away.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Brackenfell police on 021 980 5728 .
