Ten bust for possession of relief packs stolen from Gift of the Givers’ warehouse

Ten suspects have been arrested for possession of relief packs stolen from the Gift of the Givers’ warehouse at the weekend. The packs were meant for Cape Town fire victims.

In a statement on Wednesday, mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the metro police’s specialised teams had made three arrests and recovered the stolen property.

“Relief packs for fire victims were among the stolen items. In total, 10 suspects have been arrested as part of a multi-agency operation with the South African Police Service (SAPS),” the statement reads.

Smith said the arrests followed a tip-off on Monday and “metro police were able to nab three suspects, who were handed over at Philippi SAPS along with the recovered goods”.

“Metro police officers played a role in the multi-agency joint operation with SAPS and other role players which led to 10 arrests in total, three of which were made by our officers,” said Smith.

“Information was gained of the stolen Gift of the Givers property being stored at four different warehouses in Hanover Park. Arrests were made for ‘possession of stolen goods’.

“Further investigation by SAPS will be needed to ensure all those responsible face the full might of the law. Crime scenes need to be properly processed, including forensic and fingerprint samples, and detective resources will be needed to process results and bring all those involved to book.”

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “We salute the commendable work of our metro police officers and partner law enforcement agencies including SAPS. The successful arrests and recovery of goods stolen from Gift of the Givers show what is possible when authorities join forces to fight crime.”

Hill-Lewis called for the devolution to policing powers. “We can do even more to help SAPS fight crime if more policing powers are devolved to our well-trained municipal officers,” he said.

“We continue to call on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ministers of police and justice to devolve powers, particularly for criminal investigation, so that we can produce prosecution-ready case dockets to gain convictions. 

“For too long our country has struggled with diminishing SAPS resources, with criminals emboldened by investigations and prosecutions that end up going nowhere. The city is ready to help SAPS immediately if more powers are devolved.”

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