G-4 S cash-in-transit trucks hit 5 times in 1 day
South Africa June 6 2018 Security services company G4S says the recent surge in cash-in-transit heists is unacceptable after it was targeted five times in one day.
On Monday, there were several cash-transit-heists reported across the country.
G4S confirmed to News24 on Tuesday that its security guards were attacked in four separate incidents while performing cash collection services on Monday.
The attacks took place in eMalahleni in Mpumalanga, East London and Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and Krugersdorp, west of Gauteng.
The company also confirmed an attack on one of its armoured vehicles in Vanderbijlpark on the same day.
The robbers used explosives in an attempt to gain access to the vehicle but failed and fled the scene empty handed.
The company said that while their armoured vehicles were not involved in four of the incidents, their staff members were attacked.
In the Mthatha attack, a G4S security guard was shot multiple times in the chest. He is in a stable condition in hospital.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said in the incident at a garage in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, seven suspects armed with AK-47s and handguns confronted security guards while they were transporting money from the garage.
Mulamu said an undisclosed amount of money was taken and the suspects fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla and Hilux bakkie.
“G4S continually works with commercial partners as well as research and development organisations to develop ever-changing technologies to protect our staff.
“These attacks are unacceptable for all operators across the industry and we believe in working together, sharing intelligence and collaborating with other CIT (cash-in-transit) operators and law enforcement agencies to improve the environment in which we all operate.”
On Monday afternoon, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced interventions to combat aggravated robberies.
This will include high density and visibility of uniformed police officers on foot and police vehicles, supported by the police’s air wing, regular cordon and search operations, roadblocks and relentless searches for wanted suspects.
Cele said as part of the police’s organised crime threat analysis approach, dedicated teams would be set up to track and arrest wanted suspects in crimes including cash-in-transit heists, hijackings, murders, house robberies, gang violence and related crimes and taxi violence and related crimes
