18 rounds emptied but no SAPS case

Rudi Rousseau, an ex-policeman himself, is furious with the way Florida Police has been handling an incident that took place in January this year.

Rousseau’s problems started on the evening of 29 January when he was alerted by six gun shots being fired behind his house. He instructed his wife to press the panic button, armed himself and went to investigate.

Outside he shouted over his neighbours’ wall where the shots had come from, wanting to know why his neighbour was firing, but got no response.

Shortly afterwards another six shots rang out. In the meanwhile two reaction units from a security company as well as a police vehicle arrived.

Another six shots went off and the vehicles drove around the block to investigate. He followed them on foot.

As Rousseau walked around the corner of the street where his neighbour lives he saw him handing the gun to the police officers after which he invited them in.

When Rousseau went to the police station the next day to enquire about the incident he found that no case had been opened and that the incident was recorded only as “an attempted break in” but without mention of the shooting.

He asked Station Commander Colonel Cassie Rautenbach about this, who promised to investigate the incident. The case was handed to a captain.

Rousseau says he made numerous phone calls to follow up on the case, but each time he found that nothing had been done about it and no one returned his calls. He also alleges that Rautenbach put down the phone when he realised that Rousseau was the caller.

Rousseau wrote to the Minister of Police and received a reply that it would be investigated, but again nothing has been done.

“Considering what had happened in the case of Oscar Pistorius it is highly disturbing that such an offence is not taken seriously by the police. Who reloads his gun six times if there is an attempted house robbery? I want to challenge the station commander in public to answer to the community,” says Rousseau.

“I also want to ask other members of the community who had similar experiences of negligent police work by Florida Police Station staff to come to the fore. Incompetent police officers have to be removed if they can not serve the public. After all, we are paying them,” says Rousseau.

Rousseau also related another incident where he had to arrest the same thief twice and hand him over to the police.

“Rautenbach calls for the public’s support but they are incompetent in theirs. No one even bothers to lay charges anymore because they know the police will do nothing”.

The record approached Rautenbach to find out why no charge of discharging a firearm in a municipal area has been laid, why the firearm was not confiscated and why the man was not arrested.

Rautenbach says that although he is not completely familiar with the case, a docket was opened for “emptying a firearm in a municipal area” and that it was under investigation. He also denies that Rousseau was not given feedback and promises that a detective will contact the record with more information.