A Toti pensioner is disappointed with the police’s lacklustre response after he and his wife were hijacked outside their Eland Avenue home on Friday night, 16 January.
Bob Cameron (75) said his wife, Linda (67) had climbed out of their blue Chevrolet Spark to open their gate at about 9.45pm when she was pounced on by a knife-welding thug.
He ran around to Bob’s side of the car and demanded he get out and sped off with the couple’s vehicle.
“Blue Security and the CCPO arrived within five minutes, but the police only arrived at about 10.10pm, because they had no vehicle,” he said.Â
At about 6am the next morning, Bob received a visit from the Blue Security officer who attended the scene, to inform him he heard on the radio that his car had been found at KwaMakhutha on the radio and police would contact him soon with the news.
“By 10am I hadn’t heard from the police, so I phoned them, to be told the department that handles vehicle recoveries only works Monday to Friday and they had no record of my car being found.”
On Monday, 19 January, Bob was contacted by the investigating officer (IO) at about 8.30am to say there was a communication mixup with his case and he would investigate and get back to him. By midday, when he had still not heard back from the IO, he approached the Sun, which contacted Toti SAPS for comment.
“I confirmed that the vehicle was recovered and is booked in at the Isipingo pound for forensic investigation,” said Amanzimtoti SAPS communication officer, Captain Charlene van der Spuy.
“I cannot comment on the communication mix-up.Â
The investigating officer is currently out of KZN for investigation purposes. I contacted him and he said he never spoke to the complainant.
The team that does the forensic investigation works from Monday to Friday and are on standby duties during weekends.
Because the vehicle was circulated as stolen, the circulation has to be cancelled and a clearance certificate issued before the vehicle is handed back to the complainant.
Forensic investigation includes the uplifting of fingerprints and possible DNA, as well as ensuring the vehicle was not used in the committing of any other offence.
The investigating officer will make arrangements with the complainant in order to identify his vehicle and then issue him with a release form for the vehicle to be handed back to him.
In the event where the vehicle is recovered over a weekend, the investigating officer assigned to the case might not be available to do the above.”
On Wednesday morning, 28 January Bob had still not received his vehicle and the only communication from Toti SAPS was an SMS to inform him of the investigating officer assigned to his case.
