PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Crime fighters have made headway in minimising copper theft in Bitou, apprehending three suspects.
Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto Olivier said copper theft has an impact on all South Africans and that it is estimated that the country suffers a loss of about R15-billion every year as a result.
"Copper cable theft has an impact on our communication network, electricity supply and service delivery," Olivier said.
According to Olivier, the greater Bitou area had been plagued by copper cable thieves for years and the most recent power outages were directly due to various stretches of cable stolen on the Airport Road and Harkerville.
He said in the early morning hours of 7 July, one of the PBCPA's security responders, James Stewart, stopped a suspicious vehicle on Redford Road in the Crags. Illegally removed copper cables were found in the vehicle. "He immediately requested assistance. PBCPA and Plett Security Rapid Response Unit (PSTRU) members immediately responded," Olivier said. The suspects however fled into nearby bushes. "Our drone was launched and three suspects have been apprehended so far." The suspects were handed over to the Plettenberg Bay Police.
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