Five cable thieves were arrested at the weekend after they were caught red-handed stealing cables in Eerste River.
Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the five men were bust by the new Rail Enforcement Unit.
He says shortly after noon on Friday officers received a tip-off about the men digging trenches along the railway line and responded.
“The arrests were made at 12.30 on Friday along the R102 highway. The officers received a tip-off and they were caught in the act and had dug trenches to get to the cables.
“The Eskom cables were two metres in length. It is approximately R850 per metre.”
He says the five suspects, aged between 31 and 41, were detained at Macassar Police Station and charged with cable theft.
This comes days after the officers arrested a suspected drug mert from Crossroads who was found in possession of 79 bankies of dagga and just under R3000 in cash at Esplanade Train Station last week.
The R48 million joint initiative by the City of Cape Town, Prasa and the Western Cape Provincial government saw 100 Law Enforcement officers deployed on city trains last week.
The unit will assist the existing security services with the challenges the Metrorail service is currently facing, among which are sustained attacks on the rail infrastructure and assets, the sabotage of the urban rail network, and the safety of commuters and rail employees.
Smith says officers are doing well but are busy finding their feet in their new environment.