Durban - The driver of a Mercedes V Class vehicle was apprehended on Wednesday after fleeing a Pietermaritzburg petrol station, allegedly without paying for fuel to the value of R1 600.
Mi7 National Group director Colin David said reaction officers stationed in the Athlone area received information regarding the driver of a vehicle, a grey Mercedes V Class, who had fled a fuel station in the vicinity without paying.
David said the value of the fuel was about R1 600.
“Mi7 reaction officers immediately made their way to the fuel station and obtained CCTV footage of the incident, passing on the vehicle’s details to Mi7 control room operators, who uploaded such to the Mi7 Surveillance Net,” he said.
David explained that the Mi7 Surveillance Net is a network of surveillance technology installed by Mi7 in Pietermaritzburg, Hilton and Howick at no cost to the community.
Mi7 Surveillance Net is equipped with Navic’s Automatic Number Plate Recognition software to detect and flag wanted vehicles across the area, he said.
“Within 10 minutes of the vehicle’s details being entered into the system, the Mi7 Surveillance Net flagged the same vehicle on Villiers Drive,” said David.
He said reaction officers were immediately dispatched and a widespread search ensued.
The vehicle was eventually spotted on Taunton Road, and reaction officers moved in to intercept, he said.
“When the driver noticed he was being cornered, he attempted to flee, crashing into a Mi7 vehicle in the process.
“A high-speed chase ensued, with additional Mi7 teams, like the Strategic Threat Response Unit, being deployed to assist. The driver was successfully intercepted on Francis Staniland Road in Montrose,” said David.
David said the matter was handed over to the police for further investigation.
