For the past 33 years, Captain Jurie Steyn has been committed to catching criminals and helping keep safe the communities he serves.
Born in Pretoria, Capt Steyn was always fascinated with solving mysteries from a young age and it was his curiosity and eagerness to solve the unsolvable that led him to join the police force. After working as a general officer in Pretoria, Capt Steyn soon made his way to KZN where he worked in the stock theft unit. He also served as a general detective before taking over the post of the Commander of Dannhauser Detectives in 1995. Since then, with a dedicated team working alongside him, Capt Steyn has solved numerous cases, some of them high profile ones.
“It takes a little more skill to be a detective. You work with a diversity of cases which can be demanding on your private life. Once your name is on the docket, you’re bound to it. ”
Capt Steyn explained that the diversity of cases meant that detectives not only had to solve crimes but also deal with ‘Acts of God’, whereby people had drowned or were struck by lightning. Some of the cases, however, linger with detectives. Capt Steyn finds that exercising and having hobbies help him from not being haunted by cases. Often younger detectives require trauma counselling to deal with cases. “You have to make peace that you wont be able to catch all the guilty guys.”
Capt Steyn also had wise words for new detectives. “Don’t focus on hearsay, stick to the evidence in front of you and always be honest and dedicated to your job.”
He also asked that the community of Dannhauser give the local police a chance and work together with them to keep crime down in the area.
With three decades of policing behind him, Capt Steyn is still as passionate about the job and proud of his achievements.
“Over the years, there have been many cases that we have solved that come to mind and many good sentences we received.”
Capt Steyn put down the ability to solve cases as the hard work of the team around him. “I am grateful for the team I work with and have worked with. Without them I am nothing.”
