PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - A security officer in Plettenberg Bay saw straight through the tall tale of a suspect, and in so doing helped with the arrest of a suspected repeat offender.

Fidelity ADT armed response officer Phakamisa Kakaza was dispatched to an alarm activation in Susan Street on July 21 and decided to park his vehicle a short distance away from the address to first observe the area.

“Our officer noticed an unidentified man standing at the gate to the property with a bucket in his hands. When our officer approached the man and asked why he was at the property, the suspect claimed that he had been washing someone’s car on the property,” said Steven Green, branch manager for Fidelity ADT in Plettenberg Bay.

“Officer Kakaza did not believe the explanation and handcuffed the suspect to the gate so that he could do a further investigation of the house itself. When he noticed signs at the window and the front door that there had been attempts to forcibly gain entrance to the house, our officer contacted our monitoring centre asking for police back-up.”

When the police arrived, Green said, they indicated that the alleged suspect had a number of housebreaking charges pending against him. The homeowner soon also arrived and confirmed that nothing had been stolen.

“I am really impressed with how officer Kakaza saw straight through the lie he had been told by the suspect. Our officer trusted his gut and his training and helped put a suspect behind bars, where he belongs,” said Green.

Residents are reminded to regularly test their home security systems to make sure they are working. Green also recommends always keeping the system armed, even if you are home. 

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