Two police officers arrested in Post Office robbery

The officers were among nine people arrested in connection with the armed robbery at the post office in Hospital Street, said police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg.

The post office is situated right across the road from the Macassar police station.

According to Twigg, the robbery took place on Wednesday at around 15:30.

“The suspects fled the scene with electronic equipment and an undisclosed amount of cash,” Twigg said.

The nine people arrested are aged 21 to 47 and will make a court appearance once they have been charged, according to Twigg.

“Further investigation into this case revealed that two of the suspects are SAPS members. The investigation into the matter continues,” said Twigg.

Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the matter was being investigated by the police.

According to ward councillor Peter Helfrich, Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) officers in Khayelitsha apprehended three people when they were stopped at a vehicle checkpoint. LEAP officers reportedly found a 9mm firearm with ammunition.

Helfrich said the community had been “terrorised by armed criminal groups for the last few months”. According to him, there have been hijackings, businesses robberies and kidnappings.

“The community of Macassar and surrounding areas have been terrorised by these criminal groups for months. I am extremely happy that some of the alleged criminals have finally been apprehended. They have terrorised our community for long enough. There are certain businesses in our ward that are afraid to open their doors because of these criminals, and some of our residents are afraid to walk or drive around in the ward.” said Helfrich.

The Western Cape has seen a spate of robberies at post offices. There were at least seven robberies at Western Cape post offices in January and February.