The finalists are chosen from a group of over 90 individual nominees and 40 units nationally.
A KIMBERLEY police officer, Sergeant Lucas Jacobs from the Kimberley Flying Squad, was presented with the coveted national individual award at the Tracker SAPS Awards in Pretoria yesterday.
Jacobs has made numerous arrests and recovered stolen and hijacked vehicles using Tracker’s vehicle tracking technology. During the past year, he assisted with the recovery of more than 10 vehicles, some of which were not Tracker fitted vehicles, and the arrest of eight suspects.
It was pointed out at the awards ceremony that Jacobs is not only a dedicated police officer but is also always available to assist with recoveries.
The Tracker SAPS Awards took place yesterday at The Capital, Menlyn Maine in Pretoria. Taking place annually, the awards honour law enforcement officers and units whose efforts, in the use of the Tracker system, have made a significant impact on the recovery of stolen and hijacked vehicles in South Africa.
Individual and unit winners representing the nine different provinces were recognised for their contribution towards the fight against vehicle crime, and received memorabilia as a token of the 21st celebration of this prestigious event.
Every year the judges apply a set of strict criteria to select the nominees and overall winners for each category. These criteria include an outstanding contribution in the area of vehicle crime investigation, number of recoveries and arrests, outstanding efforts in co-ordinating recovery actions and outstanding contribution to the training of members.
The finalists are chosen from a group of over 90 individual nominees and 40 units nationally.
Brigadier Makhosazana Kheswa and the KwaZulu-Natal SAPS Provincial Vehicle Task Team accepted the national unit award.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Tracker’s executive operational services, Ron Knott-Craig, acknowledged that the purpose of the event was to celebrate the hard work, consistent performance and positive attitude of the top SAPS performers across the country.
