A detective based at Lentegeur police station received an award of appreciation for his hard work in opposing bail for three men accused of murdering a Woodlands man.
Sergeant Francois Jordaan, a serious and violent crime investigator, was one of 10 Lentegeur police station officers, recognised for their services, at a lunch hosted by their local community police forum (CPF) at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) base in Strandfontein on Thursday March 28.
He had submitted a petition with 600 signatures, from Woodlands and other Mitchell’s Plain residents calling for the three men accused of killing Bradley Adrian Fredericks, 41, to remain behind bars.
The deceased had been reported missing by his sister Hayley Fredericks on Monday July 9 last year, having last been seen at 8am in Lentegeur. His body was found late on Sunday July 22 in a shallow grave in Bergsig Street, about 2km from his Orpheus Crescent home (“Body of missing man found’, Plainsman, July 25, 2018).
The three men are due in Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s court on Monday April 29 for a Western Cape High Court date.
Sergeant Jordaan said the award meant a lot to him and encouraged him and his colleagues to work harder to achieve success.
Lentegeur CPF chairman Byron de Villiers said the inaugural awards ceremony had been held to boost morale and to foster the relationship between the police and the CPF.
He highlighted the significance of the recent appointment of acting station commander Lieutenant Colonel Harry Brickles and said: “We need the community to know that there are members who are willing to go the extra mile to provide the service they are supposed to.”
Lieutenant Colonel Brickles said the award recognised the commitment of officers who put in the time and made arrests.
“It is all about effective service delivery and justice since people call the police because they want justice,” he said.
The monthly awards will recognise the best shift, visible police officer, detective officer, administrative officer and manager of the month.
Police officers will also be able to recognise their colleagues’ efforts by having a say in who should get the award.