A police helicopter circled a house in River Road, Fontainebleau, for 30 minutes on 21 February before it was found that the situation was a false alarm.
The helicopter was doing a routine patrol when its officers spotted a new black Jeep in a property among a few older cars and overgrown grass.
The officers suspected the Jeep was stolen and called in ground support. Support arrived at about 2pm, after which the police found that the vehicle was indeed legally owned.
Police vehicles from Linden and Honeydew police stations responded, and the Community Support Services (CSS) were also on scene.
When asked whether the police’s response to an incident that turned out to be nothing was overkill, Greg Pearce, Chairman of the Honeydew Sector 1 Community Policing Forum and of the support services, responded, “If people try hide things, at least they know we are watching.”
A concerned resident asked how much money it would cost for the fuel the helicopter consumed during the incident.
Details: Honeydew Police Station 011 801 8576/7.