SAPS Gauteng Tracking Unit and SAPS Montclair’s Ganas M. Ramsamy scoop top honours at crime fighting awards

The SAPS Gauteng Tracking Unit and Warrant Officer Ganas M. Ramsamy from the SAPS Montclair Crime Prevention Unit have scooped top honours at the 2011 National Tracker-SAPS Awards Ceremony held in Pretoria today (October 14, 2011).

The event, sponsored by Tracker, is traditionally attended by the Minister and/or Deputy Minister of Police, high commissioners, various SAPS dignitaries and business leaders and aims to honour those law enforcement officers and units whose efforts over the past year have helped significantly to combat vehicle crime in South Africa. The awards are judged by a Tracker adjudication committee.

Below is the list of all the regional winners from which the national winners were determined:

List of regional winners – individual officers:

List of regional winners - units:

Certificates of excellence were also presented to the following individuals/units for support of and special contribution to the SAPS/Tracker partnership:

·SAPS, Head Office, Detective Service, Vehicle Crime Investigative Support.
·SAPS, Head Office, Detective Service, National Vehicle Information Control Centre.
·SAPS, Directorate of Priority Crimes, Tactical Operational Management Services.
·SAPS, Directorate of Priority Crimes, International Vehicle Crime Investigation.
·SAPS, National Airwing.

The recipients of the two main awards each received a trophy, a certificate and a monetary donation was made on their behalf to a charity of their choice. In addition to this and, for the fourth time in the twelve-year history of the awards, the winners were awarded an international trip to their choice of training seminars held and run by *(1) IAATI – the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators.

These officers will not only be able to learn new skills to better equip them in their fight against crime, but they will be able to bring their learnings back with them which they can then share with their colleagues.

Says Tracker’s Chief Executive Officer, Alan Hutcheson: “After 15 years of working closely together we firmly believe that the Tracker-SAPS relationship is one of the most successful public-private sector partnerships ever seen in South Africa. Together, we have recovered more than 55 000 stolen and hijacked vehicles which has resulted in more than 10 000 arrests and the shutting down of almost 350 chop shops and crime syndicates.”

“I would like to pay tribute to the selfless efforts of those police officers who constantly risk their lives so that we may live in a better, safer South Africa,” commented Hutcheson. “It’s important that we acknowledge the contribution of all our men and women in blue – and not only the award winners – who frequently endanger their lives for the country’s benefit.”

Supporting the children of fallen police officers

To pay tribute to the sacrifices made by police officers throughout South Africa, Tracker continues to sponsor the National Tracker-SAPS Bursary Fund.

The Fund provides tertiary merit bursaries for the children of police officers who have been lost in the line of duty and is currently helping to educate some 50 students at universities and technikons throughout the country.

“Although there is nothing we can do to bring back these slain police officers, by providing their children with a meaningful education we are paying tribute to them in the best way possible. We are enormously proud of the project,” commented Hutcheson.

Judges’ citations on the winners: Top Individual Officer:

Warrant Officer Ganas M. Ramsamy, SAPS Montclair Crime Prevention

Warrant Officer Ganas M. Ramsamy is attached to the Montclair Crime Prevention Unit in Durban. He has recovered in excess of 170 Tracker-fitted vehicles and affected at least 40 arrests, recovering 10 firearms in 2010 alone.

In addition, he has also recovered 25 non-Tracker fitted vehicles. There have also been large quantities of stolen goods seized by this officer during the course of his tracks. He is truly committed to the SAPS and is considered our first line of defense in the Durban South Region.

Warrant Officer Ramsamy has a large informer network and has on numerous occasions recovered vehicles on intelligence alone. In addition, when this member recovers vehicles he impounds them at his station and arranges for forensic examination and then the release of the vehicle to the client without the vehicle having to be impounded at the SAPS Safeguarding Unit. His commitment and dedication to Tracker is beyond reproach and he serves as an inspiration to other members when it comes to tracking vehicles.

Top Unit:

SAPS, Gauteng Tracking Unit

In early 2010, Provincial Commissioner Petros introduced the SAPS, Gauteng Tracking Unit concept under the command of Captain, Xolisile Mbada.

Since then, the unit has been enormously successful, responsible for more than 500 arrests and the closure of some 25 syndicates/chop shops.

Members of this unit continue to display their commitment and dedication to both the SAPS and Tracker. Captain Xolisile Mbada receives the award on behalf of his team.

Successes of the Tracker/SAPS partnership

The Tracker/SAPS partnership has been in place since 1996 and has made significant inroads in the fight against vehicle crime in South Africa.

Tracker-SAPS vital stats

Over the past 15 years, the following has been achieved (based on Tracker’s customer base of some 700 000 vehicles):

* The most in Africa, by any vehicle tracking company.

Tracker is the only vehicle tracking company in South Africa to formally partner with the South African Police Service, with its vehicle tracking technology installed in some 1200 police vehicles and 42 aircraft.

*(1) IAATI is a world body formed in 1952 to improve communication and co-ordination between various law enforcement agencies and nations working to combat vehicle crime across the globe. The organization collects valuable data from around the world that is even used by the likes of Interpol.