EIGHT metal crash barrier thieves were arrested on Himalayas Road, Merebank on Wednesday 4 June for the theft of metal crash barriers. The KZN Police Integrated Vehicle Task Team noticed a group doing some sort of ‘road work’ and on inspection, found the men removing the guard rails. Further investigation lead the task team to a scrap metal dealership in Chatsworth where hundreds of guard rails were found. The scrap metal dealer had allegedly paid the thieves over R100,000 for the metal.
According to the municipal officials, the replacement value of the crash barriers is over R1-million. Detectives are investigating a case of theft.
Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded the members for their vigilance which led to the thieves’ arrest. “These guard rails play a vital role on our roads in cases where vehicles are involved in accidents and we will not tolerate the theft of these guard rails. We will also be investigating whether these men are linked to other similar thefts in the greater Durban area,” she said.
