Community catches hardened criminal

On 22 August the Douglasdale police responded to a case of armed robbery on Leslie Drive (Fake cop shot down, week ending 5 September).

Chairperson of the Douglasdale community policing forum, Jean Berdou said the police were actually alerted to the crime by a vigilant community member who noticed the robbery taking place and called CrimeLine on 10111. Berdou said the resident actually followed the suspects while on the phone to CrimeLine before police from Randburg, Honeydew and Douglasdale were called in.

A high speed car chase ensued between the police and the two suspects who had been impersonating police officers during the robbery. The suspects’ vehicle crashed into some rocks in Cosmo City and a shootout followed between police and the suspects in which one suspect was shot and killed. According to Berdou the second suspect took cover in a partially built house. However, Cosmo City residents who had witnessed the chase and shootout surrounded the suspect, made a citizen’s arrest and handed him over to the police. Berdou said further investigations revealed that the suspects were wanted for hundreds of crimes around Johannesburg.

“This incident clearly illustrates how crime can be stopped when the community and police work together,” Berdou said. “From the vigilance of the witness who originally spotted the crime taking place, to the community members assisting the police, I’m proud to say that the interaction between the police and community, and the excellent work of the police contributed to the removal, from circulation, of a hardened criminal element.”