A 24-year-old man, who was allegedly arrested by officers of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) more than 30 times, was once again apprehended after he stole copper pipes and taps from a property in Brindhaven on Monday, 31 January.
RUSA spokesperson, Prem Balram, said the security company received information about a theft that occurred on Litchi Crescent and proceeded to the property where it was established that several metres of copper pipes and two taps were stolen. He said the officers received the suspect’s description from a resident in the area and apprehended a man matching the description 1.8 kilometres away, on Shari Drive in Everest Heights. “The suspect was in possession of a plastic packet which contained the stolen goods. The habitual thief is known to Reaction officers who arrested him 30 times for theft and burglary prior to him turning 18. He was thereafter remanded to Westville Prison 20 times for different cases. He was released on parole in December last year and was found in possession of heroin by authorities.”
Balram said that during an interview, he informed RUSA officers that he was working with a second person who also works as a car guard on Todd Street in the Verulam CBD. Rachel Wilkin, a member of Sector 3 of the Verulam Community Police Forum, said copper theft is an ongoing issue in the community. “Incidents generally occur in the very early hours of the morning or while homeowners are absent. Since there is rarely anything left behind to tie perpetrators to these thefts, they generally get away unless they are caught in the act, there is a bona fide witness or camera footage,” Wilkin said. Verulam SAPS spokesperson, Captain Henry Kisten, said: “A case of theft has been opened and a suspect has been detained. Copper theft is a concern for the police and we are conducting raids at scrap yards and second-hand dealer shops. We would like to advise the community not to purchase copper pipes from people selling it on the streets as the demand would lead to a rise in theft.”
