The MEC for the Ministry of Human Settlements, Safety and Liason, Helen Sauls-August today praised the National Intervention Unit (NIU) saying; “I learnt with a sense of pride and have only praise for the Port Elizabeth police for the way in which the National Intervention Unit (NIU) dealt with the alleged planned robbery of liquid platinum at the Burman and Stephenson roads.
“During this time of the year there is an increase in the number of armed robberies but this time the robbers will see that the police have zero tolerance for these armed robberies.
“The crime intelligence unit is awake and ready to deal with crime in the province and we need more of these kinds of action to say: We mean business.
There is no way that this country will be held to ransom by criminals. We also regret the killing and wounding of innocent passers-by during the incident. We send our heartfelt condolences to their families.”
On 8 November at around 11:00 am officers from the NIU were involved in a shootout with a gang of up to 13 armed robbers (4 of whom escaped) who attempted to hijack an armoured vehicle carrying millions of rand of liquid platinum to a nearby catalytic convertor factory.
NIU members, after a tip off, drove the vehicle and in the ensuing mayhem managed to shoot five of the alleged hijackers dead, Unfortunately one bystander was killed in the crosfire.
Alan Straton
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I have only one issue: If a member of the public is injured in such an incident they should receive the highest possible level of care – not be sent off to a government cesspool, as was the case here, with an injured bystander being sent to Livingston… Costs related to crime should be recovered from the government – as it is their failing that causes crime to flourish.