Witness to a crime

Witness, Rondebosch

I write to you as a direct response to your “Increase in theft out of vehicles" article on page 4 of last week’s Tatler.

On Tuesday February 14, I witnessed exactly such a crime in progress in Roslyn Road. The time was about 6.20pm.

I took note of the registration number of the getaway vehicle, which was driven by two gentlemen no older than 20, but certainly not first-year students. I went to the security in Riverside Centre and asked for a pen and paper to write down what I had seen.

I then took the paper and put it underneath the left windshield. When I saw multiple people reading it (it was odd to me because people leave flyers etc under windshields all the time), I got worried and took it back.

It must be said that neither at the time it happened nor at the time I took the paper back did I know that I had witnessed a crime. It was only at about 6.45pm, when I saw the (I presume contract service) vehicle parked on the Main Road and the driver standing outside of it that I realised that I had witnessed a crime in progress.

I was happy to be able to give the driver the written account of what had happened, complete with the number plate of the getaway vehicle. Although I did not know at the time of the incident that a crime had been committed, I wanted to leave the note in case something were out of place.

Now the reason I write to the Tatler about this is because I find it strange to have read in the Tatler that if we witness something, to contact the police. However, when I went into the police station on the Wednesday evening to report what I had seen, I was told that I had to return in the morning and report it then. I found it extremely odd that they did not even ask me for a statement. I mean what are the police actually there for?

I will go into the police station again and speak to Warrant Officer Lyndon Sisam, and find out what the procedure is if one witnesses a crime.

I was a witness. Would they not be interested in what I had seen? In their defence, they asked me my name and address, but as the only eye witness, I was worried the police would come after me. I see that happen on investigative crime shows all the time.

• The identity of the writer is known to the Tatler but is not being published for safety reasons.

• Rondebosch police spokesman Warrant Officer Lydon Sisam responds:

The standing operational procedure for reporting information to the police is to call or visit the community service centre, inform the officer, and provide your name and contact information, if you are willing. You have the right to choose to remain anonymous.

Eyewitness information will be given to an investigating officer of that specific case for follow-up investigation. The information received by the writer was followed up, but it was found that the suspect vehicle (a grey Chevrolet Aveo) was not registered on the Natis system.

The investigation is ongoing to find ownership of the vehicle's previous owner and to address and improve customer service.

We thank everyone who gave information to Rondebosch SAPS in the past week as it helped us make several arrests.

• On Monday February 13, at 6.30pm, we received information from a resident about a possible robbery on Toll Road near the Liesbeek Wooden Bridge. The police reacted, and a 37-year-old female suspect was arrested and detained for common robbery.

• On Tuesday February 14, at 5.20pm, we received information from an eyewitness of a street robbery on Lulworth Road. Rondebosch SAPS responded and arrested a female for attempted common robbery.

• On Friday February 17, at 7.45pm, we received information from an eyewitness of a robbery in Station Road. The sector vehicle responded and arrested two suspects, aged between 20 and 27, for robbery with a weapon.