Riding shotgun with police officers in their car is not for everyone. The last time a Carte Blanche producer was given this much access for a story was when the lateย Johann Bothaย followed the JMPD K-9 unit in the early 2000s.
When Chief David Tembe of the JMPD gave me the chance, I took it and ran โ spending between 8 to 12 hours in a vehicle for over 40 days following the officers. Superintendent Mahomed Hoosen was tasked with looking after me but, as time went on, more of the officers allowed me into their professional lives. I was taught how to handle a firearm, and at all times wore a bulletproof vest.
- Lesson 1: Know the NATO phonetic alphabet because that is "cop speak 101."
- Lesson 2: You're in for a rough ride, so donโt get scared now.
I joined Officer Rabbit, Sergeant Nike and Superintendent (aka Supe) on most of their patrols and got a glimpse into their daily lives and struggles. As a journalist, itโs hard โ but imperative โ to keep your distance from your subjects, especially when asking them all kinds of personal questions and being alongside them for 12-hour shifts for several weeks on end.
I've grown to admire and respect the work these police are committed to. That was unexpected. Being in the media, we are the first to hear of officers accused of soliciting bribes or involved in crime themselves.
Iโve been tested as a journalist, because we usually operate in the background, and must never 'become the story' by getting involved. But when asking these officers to help me understand their jobs, emotion is palpable. They put their lives on the line every day for Joburg's residents. In the 40 days I was privy to, it was a thankless job where they were verbally abused, attacked or shot at.
I'm proud to say I was right there next to them with a camera rolling, and I believe the story not only shows the action that everyone expects from police raids and arrests, but it will also reveal their emotions, which often lie beneath the surface of every situation โ deep emotions that affect them daily.ย
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OFFICER BLUE
Officer Blue is a tough, no-nonsense female officer who lives and breathes the job 24/7. Sheโs been with the K9 unit for roughly 14 years and her trusty Golden Retriever, Fire, is by her side wherever she goes. Fireโs speciality? Sniffing out narcotics. Officer Blue and Fire are inseparable โ the way Officer Blueโs face lights up when interacting with Fire is evidence of that.
Taking a well-deserved break from the action and dangers of stakeouts and high-speed chases, I sat down with Officer Blue to find out a bit more about the life of a female officer in a predominantly male environment. โItโs funโ she started off light-heartedly. But her composure soon changed. โIt has its challenges. You have to run with the big guys, most of the time. You have to be one of them.โ
Itโs a tough job for all officers โ male and female. But my sense was that despite the various difficulties they face daily, officers like Blue have a passion and a calling that is so desperately needed to battle South Africaโs crime.
SOWETO SHOOTOUT
Communication is key during any police exercise, and the lack of it almost caused officers Rabbit and Nike to be killed.
The unit received information about a planned robbery in Soweto, but they didnโt know where the syndicate planned on striking. Turns out it was a nearby liquor store. All they heard when arriving on the scene was gunfire. Supe got a call from Nike. He was yelling, โtheyโre here! We need back up!โ Nike never seems afraid, but now his voice was strained.
Moments later, more gunfire, but they didnโt know from where. The unit raced in convoy for a few blocks and then gave chase.
Itโs hard to tell whatโs happening when things are moving so fast, but about a minute later some suspects had been shot. The getaway carโs boot was filled with liquor and now sported a few fresh bullet holes. Its windscreen wipers were still on, frantically moving back and forth.
Rabbit came and reported that they had unintentionally run into the suspects and the suspects began shooting. There were about 15 police officers running on foot after some of the suspects while Rabbit gave chase after the suspectsโ car. They called his phone โ which was off. Not a good situation. Rabbit looked visibly shaken. He is a joker and always has a smile on his face. Right then, however, he looked ill. He explained the suspects shot at both him and Nike without a thought for anyone else โ women and children didnโt matter to them. Rabbit emptied out two of his weapons during the shootout. He asked to be checked for any bullet wounds, adding he didnโt know how he survived.
Supe was worried about Nike. Where was he? It had now been 20 minutes. A decision was made to drive back to the shopping centre in the hopes of locating Nike. No luck. Then a call came in from the lawyer that works with the unit โ they had a suspect apprehended just around the corner. When the unit got there, Supe breathed a sigh of relief. Nike was alive.
Nike explained how he had given chase after four suspects, how they ran for a few blocks, eventually losing some suspects in the crowd. Looking on, the lawyerโs eyes tell the same story as Rabbitโs earlier. Itโs hard to understand what itโs like to be shot at.
On the ground lay one of the suspects โ alive but bleeding heavily. Nike had called for an ambulance, which can take a few hours to arrive. Often, paramedics are cautious when coming into volatile areas for fear of getting mugged or harmed while assisting the injured. This suspect didnโt make it.
Later, we saw CCTV footage of the deceased suspect entering the liquor store. He was believed to be one of the syndicateโs leaders. Just a few weeks ago, he was a guy with a wife. Now, his wife would be a widow.
After Nike managed to calm down, he muttered: โIt was us or them.โ
THE STAKEOUT
The unit was alerted that a weapon had been stolen. CCTV footage showed several armed suspects with weapons approaching a man. They subsequently stole his handgun. Then, it was the unitโs job to recover it. Time for a stakeout. Stakeouts are long and itโs easy to lose concentration. Officers have to blend in and go around unnoticed.
On a Saturday evening officers watched the suspectโs house for several hours. Nothing happened. The next day they returned. Informants told them that the suspect had the gun and heโd been seen at a nearby shebeen.
After several hours they spotted a car matching that of the suspectโs, leaving the shebeen. Nike grabbed the radio, called it in and the chase began. The team followed the Corsa onto the main road until all the JMPD vehicles are back together. The Corsa is expertly blocked by the cop cars. Nike jumps out, gun in hand, and joins the rest of the boys in blue. The suspect is completely caught by surprise. Heโs young โ he canโt be older than 19. He gets down on the grond with several guns pointed at him. The officers begin to search for the firearm. Yells of excitement and congratulations as they recover the firearm. Itโs a moment of celebration and great relief.
BROKEN WINDOWS
This was my first night accompanying the unit. They headed out on a small drug raid in an abandoned building in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Informants said theyโd find dealers and low-profile street drugs. The raid followed several complaints from local residents who โwant those dealers outโ. ย
Sirens announced their arrival, with dozens of boots running upstairs into the dark building. Police flashlights seemed swallowed up by the darkness and ineffective. Suddenly, as I switched on my camera light, the first two suspects were seen trying to escape. But the unit was on their heels and they were soon caught and searched, face-down on the ground. This wasnโt like an airport security search either. The officers feel for any weapons or hidden substances on skinny teenagers who seem to find this procedure quite normal. One of the two young men tried to hide something silverโฆ but the knife was taken from him.
The men were illegally occupying a building that had no electricity, no running water or toilets and should be uninhabited. As the police searched their pockets, they found a small packet of a suspected illegal substance.
It was only then that the smell of the building hits me โ a sickening mixture of sewage, weed and cooking food. Some of the officers moved on, kicking in doors and catching suspects trying to flee. One suspectโs jacket was cut open to reveal muti hidden in its lining. I was impressed when Cooper, the sniffer dog, smelled drugs right through one of the suspectโs apartment doors. Hidden under a bed they found cooking pots and plastic tubs containing weed, laced with something else that needs to be tested.
The nightโs escapades โ running up stairs, barging into apartments, searching for drugs, all without knowing what they would encounter โ are part of the Metro Policeโs crackdown on Johannesburg Cityโs criminals. Itโs aim? To win back the cityโs residentsโ support and trust. This would be just the first night of our unprecedented media access to these tactical teams.
The JMPD told me they followed this โbroken window approachโ to deal with lesser crimes alongside greater ones, expecting it to have a knock-on effect and stop serious crime.
Having survived the first night, I realised ordinary crime prevention requires maximum team effort.