A three-year old child who was found locked in a car in Darling Street during the Slave Route Challenge on Sunday February 23 was returned to the father after a case was opened at Cape Town Central SAPS.
Captain Ezra October said a 19-year-old woman was apprehended and a statement was taken after she went to the toilet and left the little boy in the car with no food or water.
Captain October said the woman was supposed to look after the child while the father took part in the race.
She went to use the mobile toilet on the Grand Parade, leaving the child alone in the car.
The City’s law enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, said a law enforcement officer on patrol during the Slave Route Challenge saw a woman standing next to a car.
He walked on and later, on his return, he passed the same car and members of the public alerted him to a child unattended in the locked car.
“Concerned about the heat, he managed to gain access to the vehicle through a rear window that was slightly ajar. He bought the child a juice and then proceeded to wait for someone to return to the vehicle. After about an hour, a lady returned and identified herself as the child’s caregiver. The officer took both the child and caregiver to SAPS and opened a case of child endangerment.”
The woman said the child’s mother was in Port Elizabeth.
Captain October said while no arrests were made, the father was told to come to the station to give a statement, and the woman who looked after the child was given a warning and released.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, commended the officer for taking the necessary action to ensure the child’s well-being.
“It is incomprehensible that anyone would leave a child alone in a locked vehicle, not just because of the risk of heat exhaustion, but the risk of possible abduction. The issue of child safety has once again been put squarely in the spotlight in the last week.
“One would think that caregivers would be more mindful of their actions in relation to the safety of the children in their care. I sincerely hope that the law takes its course in this matter, as it cannot be allowed to go unchecked.”
A security guard was shot and killed after he responded to a business robbery in Roeland Street on Saturday February 22.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said according to reports, four armed men entered a store in Roeland Square and robbed it of an undisclosed amount of equipment.
Captain October said the security guard, who had responded to an alert from the business, entered the premises, and one of the robbers fired a single shot, which killed the guard. The suspects fled the scene with the security guard’s gun. No one was arrested. Anyone with information about the incident can contact Cape Town Central SAPS or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Two men were arrested in Long Street for possession of stolen property over the weekend after they were caught with 18 cellphones.
Captain October said police attended to a complaint on Sunday February 23 and spoke to a woman who pointed out the men. After they were searched, police found two cellphones in their possession.
He later found another 14 cellphones in the car, and a further two cellphones at their home.