Double amputee keeps BFS fleet running

BFS fleet manager and resident of Van Dyk Park, Warrant Officer Mauritz Prinsloo, has the mammoth task of ensuring that the unit’s vehicles are in tip-top condition, ready for any fast-paced daily operations.

One misstep in planning is the difference between successfully bringing suspects to book or bringing the wheels of justice to a grinding halt. Prinsloo says he might not have been able to become as meticulous as his position requires if he hadn’t become wheelchair-bound.

Prinsloo was an active member of BFS and colleagues describes him as a man of action, fearlessly living in the line of fire.

“My work as a police officer was my life’s passion. I lived and breathed to serve and protect,” he said.

At the end of 2003, Prinsloo was on duty when he suffered a minor injury to his leg.

“Initially I did not think too much of it, my leg was numb to the touch and the injury was diagnosed as soft tissue damage,” he said.

“It was later found that one of the main arteries in my leg was damaged, which restricted blood flow and bypass surgery was needed to rectify the problem.”

Responding to an armed robbery in Actonville in 2006, Mauritz again damaged the artery while jumping walls in pursuit of the suspect.

Despite corrective surgery, the damage was too severe and Prinsloo’s left leg was amputated below the knee.
It was also established that he suffers from peripheral vascular disease.

Being an amputee, Prinsloo could no longer work in the field as an active officer but was reassigned to an office position within the BFS.

“The transition to an office job was incredibly challenging and psychologically more difficult than losing my leg,” he said.

“I am a police officer in heart and soul, not being able to function in that capacity was difficult to accept.”

Remaining mobile with the aid of crutches Prinsloo vaulted into action when he and colleague Warrant Officer Grant Giblin, BFS spokesperson, stumbled onto a crime scene, coming face-to-face with an armed suspect in 2014.

“Hobbling on his one leg Mauritz managed to disarm and arrest the suspect. His determination was palpable,” said Giblin.

Following a slight injury to his left foot, Prinsloo’s left leg was also amputated and within six months both legs were amputated above the knee.

The 1.8m man that received the Officer of the Year Award for three consecutive years was now wheelchair-bound and faced with the possibility of being relieved from duty due to disability.

“I do not know whether it was my reputation for being a hard worker of sheer stubbornness, but I was soon appointed as the unit’s fleet manager,” he said.

“I have 42 vehicles in my fleet and it is my responsibility to ensure that they are in perfect running order at all times.”

Prinsloo is often seen transferring from his wheelchair into cars, tinkering and tending to minor mechanical faults.

“One thing I have learned about being in a wheelchair, you have to plan everything to the finest detail because manoeuvring to and from it can take time,” he said.

“I had to readjust my mindset, find new things to challenge me and aim to always be satisfied in what I set out to do. If what I do in the yard has a positive effect on what is happening in the field, then I am happy.”

In his free time, Mauritz will be found next to the lapping fishing waters, competing as a member of the SAPS team or hunting.

“I might have lost my legs but not my mobility and drive,” he said.

“Every day is an opportunity to achieve something new.”

Also Read: BFS operations net nine suspects, recover stolen vehicles and drugs

Also Read: BFS tracks robber to business in Boksburg