Richard "Rick" Crouch (born 6 September 1960) is a former South African politician and City Councillor in the

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality, created in 2000, that includes the city of Durban and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 Districts of South Africa, di ...

representing the official opposition Democratic Alliance. Aside from being a former politician Crouch is a private investigator and a qualified commercial pilot.

History

There were three attempts on Crouch's life after which he decided to seek sanctuary in the United States.

Career

As a politician in South Africa

In 1980, at the age of 19, Crouch became a member of the Progressive Party, one of the two opposition parties represented in parliament at the time. From the period 1982, until he was forced into self-exile in the United States. Crouch, along with his family, decided in 2005 that he would return to South Africa to pick up where he left off in 1986 and run for public office. Upon his return to South Africa, Crouch was elected to the Chairmanship of the eThekwini Ward 10 Branch of the Democratic Alliance. During his time as chairman Crouch has been actively involved in the community and in Ward 10. Crouch also served on the Executive Committee of the Hillcrest

Community Policing Community policing is a philosophy and organizational strategy whereby law enforcement cooperates with community groups and citizens in producing safety and security. The theory underlying community policing is that it makes citizens more likely t ...

Forum (CPF).Don't Attend, Don't Complain
/ref> On 22 May 2010, Crouch was elected as a City Councilor to the

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

City Council representing the residents of Ward 99 for the Democratic Alliance in the ANC majority Council. In May 2011, Crouch was re-elected to the Durban City Council with an 83.87% majority, this time as a Ward Councillor representing the residents of Ward 10, which includes the suburbs of Gillitts, Hillcrest, Winston Park and

Kloof Kloof is a town that includes a smaller area called Everton, located approximately 26 km north-west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Once an independent municipality, it now forms part of greater Durban area of the eThekwini M ...

. In December 2012, Crouch was elected Councillor of the Year for 2012 by his colleagues. In the aftermath of one of the most horrific accidents in Durban, the 2013 Pinetown crash, Crouch has been vocal about the Provincial Government's failure in stopping the carnage on Fields Hill, going as far as accusing the KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison,

Willies Mchunu Willies Mchunu (born 11 May 1948) was the 7th Premier of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. He was previously a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Department of Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison in the province. He is a mem ...

, of practicing tombstone legislation. Crouch has been campaigning for stricter rules for trucks on Fields Hill. On 4 February 2018, Crouch resigned his council seat in order to concentrate more on his expanding private investigation business and to spend more time with his family.

As an investigator in the United States

As well as becoming a commercial pilot while in the United States, Crouch formed a private investigation and

digital forensics Digital forensics (sometimes known as digital forensic science) is a branch of forensic science encompassing the recovery, investigation, examination, and analysis of material found in digital devices, often in relation to mobile devices and com ...

company. Through his work with celebrities and their high-profile attorneys, Crouch became known as "PI to the stars". Some of the celebrities Crouch worked for through their attorneys are; musician

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, actress

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born ), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's L ...

, musician

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, and the wife of

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

, Robyn, to name a few. He also assisted local law enforcement and the FBI in locating and returning fugitives to justice. Crouch and his company also worked as

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for a bail bondsman who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as a bail enforcement agent or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated ...

s, tracking down fugitives who had decided to " jump bail" and fled the jurisdiction. Crouch authored and published a training manual and reference guide titled Bail Investigator Training Manual (Become a bounty hunter now) for investigators interested in or currently in the field of Bail Enforcement (Bounty Hunting).

As an investigator in South Africa

In South Africa Crouch has formed a private investigation and digital forensics company Rick Crouch & Associates where he holds the position of Managing Director. Crouch has been described in local media as having a "Chuck Norris-like past".

Publications

* ''Bail Investigator Training Manual (Become a bounty hunter now)''

References

External links

*
Councillor Site

Rick Crouch & Associates

Who's Who in Southern Africa
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Crouch, Rick 1960 births Bounty hunters Commercial aviators Democratic Alliance (South Africa) politicians Digital forensics people Living people Politicians from Durban Politicians from Orange County, California Politicians from Los Angeles Private investigators Progressive Party (South Africa) politicians South African businesspeople South African chief executives South African people of British descent White South African anti-apartheid activists South African anti-apartheid activists