Trafic officers picked up more than “stompies” in weekend crime blitz
Cape Town Traffic’s haul included a stash of stolen cigarettes, nearly 800 fines and 97 drunk driving arrests, including a police officer.
Officers were patrolling on the R300 highway on Friday when they ran the number plate for a white Nissan light delivery vehicle through the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ALPR) system and found a match for outstanding warrants.
Officers pursued the vehicle and eventually had to force it off the road as the driver refused to obey their instructions.
Three men jumped out of the vehicle and ran away across the N2.
The two officers secured the vehicle from rolling into oncoming traffic and upon searching it found a stash of cigarettes to the value of R180000.
It later emerged that the vehicle had been reported stolen in Nyanga and had been involved in an armed robbery in Eerste River earlier that morning.
“Our officers did outstanding work and I want to commend them for their bravery.
It later came to our attention that the weapons used in that robbery included heavy calibre arms and I am just thankful that our officers came away unscathed.
“The incident highlights the effectiveness of technology as a crime-fighting tool,” the city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, said.
The ALPR cameras can identify whether there are outstanding warrants of arrest on a particular number plate, whether a vehicle has been suspended, stolen or is unlicensed and whether the number plate is legitimate
