Alert Tracker recovery team helps to bring down suspected hospital robbers
Cape Town, January 27, 2012
A Tracker recovery team, returning from a meeting with the Cape Town Flying Squad yesterday afternoon, has managed to bring down two members of an armed gang alleged to have stolen money from the Conradie Hospital in Pinelands.
The drama unfolded shortly after noon when the two-member Tracker team noticed a vehicle leaving the hospital’s parking lot at an unusually high speed. Trusting their instincts they decided to follow the vehicle which, within a few kilometres, joined up with a white Toyota Hilux. It was at this point that the team contacted the police for support. As they continued to drive behind the vehicles through the suburb of Thornton, the driver of the Toyota Hilux realized they were being followed and tried to speed away. The Mazda then drove off in a different direction and the Tracker members decided to remain behind the Hilux as it appeared to contain at least six people. The pursuit ended a few minutes later when the Hilux drove into a field in Pinelands and smashed into a tree. The suspects immediately fled from the vehicle. 
Tracker’s Operations Manager in the Western Cape, Pierre Carstens, then chased after two of the suspects on foot while his colleague, Rozier Truter, secured the vehicle which was found to contain a number of cell phones, hand radios, a firearm and what was believed to be the money that was stolen from the hospital.
Meanwhile, Pierre Carstens tracked one of the suspects into a house and, together with police support that had now arrived on the scene, managed to arrest the suspect. A few minutes later, the Cape Town Flying Squad apprehended a second suspect in the premises next to the house.
As they returned to the Hilux, they were informed of the robbery that had taken place at the hospital.
It’s believed that these suspects may well be linked to a spate of armed robberies in the province where victims are followed from banks after making substantial withdrawals. The Mazda 323 was later found abandoned and was discovered to have been reported stolen several weeks ago from Durbanville.
“We’re exceptionally proud of our team’s alertness to the situation and for their courage in acting decisively. We’re also relieved that neither our members nor any of the police were hurt in the incident,” says Gareth Crocker, Tracker’s Communications Manager. “While our focus is obviously on recovering stolen and hijacked vehicles and arresting the perpetrators responsible, our teams have made dozens of arrests in recent years by just remaining vigilant during their patrols. To date, Tracker working in partnership with the SAPS has recovered more than 55 000 stolen and hijacked vehicles which has led to more than 10 000 arrests.”
When asked for a comment, Pierre Carstens was only interested in praising the police. “Within only minutes of us calling for support, we were joined by members of the Western Cape War Room, the Cape Town Flying Squad and the Dog Unit as well. We’re very proud of our partnership with the SAPS.”
For more information, please contact Tracker’s Communications Manager, Gareth Crocker, on 082 78 78 757 or gcrocker@tracker.co.za
Tracker QR code
