While the men were on the property, the dog handlers noticed a blue VW Polo Classic parked in Kingsway, with a driver seated in the vehicle.
They recalled a photograph of the Polo, which CCPO had shared with Metro from camera footage after a housebreaking had occurred in Madeline Road, Warner Beach.
The Metro officers realised it was the same vehicle when they noticed that the small, rear right hand side window was not tinted.
On being spotted by the Dawn Place home owner, the men fled and ran towards the Polo in Kingsway. When they noticed the Metro Dog vehicle parked behind the Polo, they walked off towards the robots in Oppenheimer Road.
CCPO’s Rupert Smit was on his way to assist Metro when he received a message from them to arrest three men walking in his direction. Smit and his armed guard arrested the men. A search led to the recovery of a large screwdriver, pepper spray and a crowbar. The men and the vehicle were taken to Toti police station. The same vehicle is believed to be linked to a series of housebreakings in Prince Street, Athlone Park and Main Road, Doonside which occurred in the last few weeks.
According to CCPO’s Leon Joone, the men’s arrests is a major breakthrough.”We have been searching for them, as we consider them dangerous. We believe they usually enter a premises with the intention of committing a housebreaking, but if a resident is present, it quickly turns into a house robbery. Our relationship with the SAPS and the Metro Police dog unit is invaluable and by sharing information, we were able to supply Metro with relevant information which assisted them in identifying the suspects’ vehicle. We applaud the dog handlers for their vigilance and assistance from Toti police.”
