[ Home ] [ Speeches & statements ]

4 July 2008

On 4 July 2008 at approximately 08h30 a police helicopter, which had been assisting members on the ground in tracking two fleeing robbery suspects, crashed on open land in Meadowlands, Soweto.

The three occupants of the police helicopter, Captains Carl Bernardo and Willie Steyn and Sergeant Paul Steyn, were evacuated by air to hospital where they are receiving treatment and are all in a serious but stable condition. No other person was injured during the incident.

Power lines in the area of the crash were damaged indicating that the helicopter had at some stage touched the power lines, but a full investigation will be conducted to establish the cause of the accident.

The two suspects, who had apparently robbed a woman of her purse and other possessions in the near vicinity, have not as yet been arrested. Members on operational duties had been pursuing the suspects immediately after the robbery.

There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and the members on the ground. The helicopter from the Johannesburg Air Wing joined in the hunt for the suspects as the area in which they were hiding was not accessible by road.

Earlier media reporting that the helicopter had been shot down is incorrect. "I am extremely relieved that all three police members on board the helicopter survived the crash.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) will offer all possible assistance to our members and their families during their stay in hospital and subsequent recuperation period", said Commissioner Arno Lamoer, the Divisional Commissioner of Visible Policing under which the Air Wing resorts.

The SAPS would like to thank the medical personnel at Millpark Hospital for their outstanding treatment of our members and their sympathetic approach which extended to trauma counselling for our injured members families.

Enquiries:
Sally de Beer
Cell: 082 779 8658
Tel: 012 393 1574
Fax: 012 393 2165
E-mail: debeers@saps.org.za

Issued by: South African Police Service
4 July 2008