25 August 2006
A partnership between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and vehicle tracking firm Tracker has saved the country around R3-billion in vehicle replacement costs over the past decade, says Tracker chairman John Newbury.
According to Newbury, this has involved the recovery of over 30 000 stolen and hijacked vehicles and 6 000 arrests across South Africa since 1996, when the SAPS and Tracker embarked on a partnership to combat car theft and hijacking in the country.
Newbury was speaking at a ceremony held in Pretoria on Thursday to honour police officers and units that use the company's technology.
Once activated, Tracker's tracking units in stolen vehicles can be detected both by the company's private recovery teams and by over 1 100 police vehicles and 40 police aircraft that have been fitted with police tracking computers supplied and maintained by the company.
According to Tracker, the company also has highly specialised recovery teams who are responsible for training SAPS members in vehicle tracking. "These teams also play a vital role in maintaining the police tracking computers installed in all the police vehicles as well as affecting recoveries themselves," the company says on its website.
In one of their biggest cases over the past decade, Tracker and the police recovered a stolen vehicle and discovered boxes on the back seat containing more than R20-million.
"The vehicle had been used in a cash-in-transit heist just minutes before," the company in a statement.
Newbury said that although the police worked in an extremely difficult "emotional environment," they were often subject to criticism and seldom commended for their heroism.
During Thursday's ceremony, Tracker gave special awards to Inspector Moilwa Mosiane and Constable Archibald Mushi of the Rustenburg Highway Patrol in North West province.
"Both members respond to Tracker activations in their area at any time of the day or night and can always be relied upon," said Tracker MD Pierre de Klerk.
"During 2005, both members were involved in the tracking and recovery of numerous vehicles and arrested several suspects," De Klerk said. "Their hands-on approach serves as an example to all police officers."
Tracker has also committed R200 000 to the Tracker/SAPS Bursary Scheme, which caters for the children of police officers killed on duty.
Tracker boasts over 380 000 subscribers.
SouthAfrica.info reporter and BuaNews
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