Detective Sergeant Darryl van Noie is one of Manenberg Police’s seasoned detectives and had many successful investigations that led to prosecution and conviction.
On Wednesday 28 May, the 36-year-old Chadwin Adams was convicted in the Wynberg Regional Court after a successful prosecution and sentenced tot 12 years imprisonment of which four were suspended for two years.
Adams will be serving eight years direct imprisonment for attempted murder which happened on 12 October 2023 when he shot a 38-year-old male and wounded him in broad daylight.
People’s Post spoke to Van Noie to learn more about the person behind the detective.
Being a police officer is a calling, but being a detective brings hope to a nation, is how he describes his career.
“As a child, the world was a grand, unfolding mystery for me. While other kids played cops and robbers, I was the one trying to piece together the ‘why’, the motives, the hidden clues and the elusive answers that lay beneath the surface.
“My heroes weren’t superheroes, but the sharp minds who solved the unsolvable: Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, the cunning Arsène Lupin, the ever-perceptive Columbo, and the adventurous Tintin. Their stories fueled a dream that seemed far-fetched for a boy in Mitchells Plain, attending Spine Road High.
“I had my sights set on an analytical science degree at university, but with two older brothers already pursuing their dreams, BSc degrees at UCT and UWC, the funds simply weren’t there for the youngest of six children,” he says.
“My father, the sole breadwinner, had already stretched himself thin. But some dreams, it seems, find a way to manifest, even if the path isn’t the one you initially envisioned.
“I applied to become a police officer and my journey into law enforcement began not in a lecture hall but at Bishop Lavis Police Training College, followed by my in-service training at Muizenberg Police Station in 2005.
“It wasn’t long before I was transferred to Manenberg Police Station, a place where the realities of crime hit hard,” Van Noie says.
He was immediately thrown into the detective branch, specialising in property-related crimes – housebreaking, theft and robbery.
“It was here that my childhood fascination with puzzles truly came alive. I remember one case vividly, where I recovered property valued at over half a million rand. The satisfaction of putting the pieces together, of digging for answers when there seemed to be no leads, was immense.
“This wasn’t just about recovering stolen goods, it was about bringing closure to victims. Later, I moved to the tracing unit, hunting down most wanted suspects on outstanding warrants, before being transferred again in 2018 to specialise in critical infrastructure investigations, specifically the theft and damage to railway electrical cables.
“In a single year, I secured convictions amounting to over 250 years of imprisonment for offenders. These weren’t just numbers; they represented broken criminal networks and safer communities,” he says.
His biggest supporters have always been his children.
“They are my compass, reminding me of the fundamental truth that what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. Being a role model for them fuels my drive, even when the job is demanding and the hours are long.
“The ultimate reward in this profession isn’t just a conviction, but the gratitude from victims who can finally get closure, understanding “how, why, and who shot and killed their loved ones.”
To prove a case beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the crime is the culmination of hours of relentless work.
For six consecutive years, from 2014 to 2020, Van Noie was consistently chosen as the best detective at Manenberg Criminal Investigating Department.
