Six male suspects aged between 18 and 25 were arrested and charged with armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms on 25 March 2019. These arrests followed after a police officer attached to Adelaide Saps was robbed on Friday 22 March 2019, while waiting for Transport at Fort Beaufort/Adelaide intersection.
It is alleged that five young men approached the member with one of them carrying a firearm and instructed him to lie down. They robbed him all his possession including a bag he carried with him which had two state issued firearms, one belonging to him and one to his spouse who is also a police member.
Upon reception of this information, Operational Command Centre members followed up without success. On Saturday information about sale of firearms at a nearby Fort Beaufort township, Newtown was received and followed.
OCC and Crime Intelligence traced one of the two stolen firearms hidden under an old vehicle in a scrapyard. Two suspects were arrested immediately and police investigation continued.
Three suspects were arrested after the second firearm was recovered hidden in a pigsty.
A sixth suspect has since been arrested for illegal possession of a firearm after it transpired that this second gun was sold to him.
All six suspects aged between 18 and 25 are expected to appear at Fort Beaufort Magistrates Court facing charges of armed robbery and illegal possession of firearms.
Alice Cluster Commander, Brig Pier Wolfaard commended the members for the swift arrest and recovery of the stolen firearms. He pleaded with members to be vigilant at all times.
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