Cash-In-Transit (CIT) robberies are a posh enterprise, and it takes something between three and 17 months of meticulous planning to execute a theft.
This is based on criminologist, Hennie Lochner, who was reacting to the latest spate of CIT robberies.
Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, Lochner stated the rationale why these crimes are not stopped is as a result of CIT robbers are utilizing the identical crime intelligence gathering processes utilized by the police, and generally to raised impact.
“Just just like the police, CIT robbers determine their targets, therefore it takes them months to plan their execution, they usually don’t simply take any individual on the road, they recruit individuals based on their wants.
“Also these groups don’t always use the same people because there is always an element of mistrust between themselves. For instance, if they tell you to shoot a person in the leg and you fail to do that, they regard you as not being brave,” he stated.
Lochner stated even within the occasion the place 15 suspects have been arrested and one among them is launched on bail or fees in opposition to them are withdrawn, that individual may be very more likely to go forward and begin their very own heist gang.
He confused that these robbers all the time use the identical modus operandi, however have additionally added utilizing explosives to their repertoire of robberies.
“The query is what sort of explosives are they utilizing, is it industrial and who’s offering them with the explosives?
Crime Intelligence simply not adequate
“Another instance, the Boeremag case, they had been planning to destabilise the nation however their plan was thwarted by the nation’s intelligence. But why can’t the police or intelligence additionally do the identical [with CIT].
“We can prevent most of these robberies, but in the absence of good intelligence, these crimes will never stop,” Lochner stated.
He defined that these robbers usually begin with smaller crimes, however take into account themselves to progressing as criminals, in what he described as their “criminal careers”.
“They all the time begin someplace, from breaking into individuals’s properties and automotive hijacking, earlier than shifting on to the massive crimes, such as CIT robberies.
“There is some sort of a hierarchy… For example, if you stole more bicycles, you are then seen as a hero or a kingpin,” Lochner stated.
In a latest incident, three safety guards had been driving from Bara Mall, headed in direction of Orlando East, once they had been allegedly accosted by an unknown variety of suspects who introduced their automobile to a standstill.
ALSO READ: Manhunt for suspects concerned in CIT theft in Soweto
Cops ‘dragging their feet’
Activist Yusuf Abramjee, who displays these incidents and different crimes within the nation, echoed Lochner’s sentiments, saying there was dramatic will increase.
ALSO WATCH:
#DailySafetyTip #CITRobberies •When observing an incident, strive & put as a lot distance between your automobile •Do not exit your automobile as you can get caught-up within the crossfire •Try to vacate the realm •Don’t intervene with the crime scene & selecting up money is a criminal offense. pic.twitter.com/mNEzc0spcO— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) July 21, 2022
“These are organised gangs they usually strike with army precision, they are brazen, they’ve heavy firepower, they usually have numerous automobiles, they usually are adamant that they need the money.
“They strike in broad day light, like we have seen in the last couple of days again. And, Gauteng is the hotspot, there’s no doubt about that… So I don’t know why the police are dragging their feet,” Abramjee stated.
Police assembling particular CIT multi-disciplinary group
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS), Colonel Athlenda Mathe, stated a multi-disciplinary group has been assembled at a nationwide degree and in hotspot provinces to forestall and fight CITs.
“The group consists of members from the Special Task Force, National Intervention Unit, Tactical Response Teams, Visible Policing, Crime Intelligence, Hawks and personal safety.
“We continue to work closely with all other stakeholders such as South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) and cash solutions security companies to prevent, combat and investigate such incidents,” she stated.
On successes, Mathe stated since February this 12 months, there are at the moment 225 arrests and 306 instances showing earlier than the courts.
“107 firearms have been recovered, which include 59 pistols and 49 rifles. 108 high performance vehicles have been seized,” Mathe added.
Mathe doesn’t agree with Abramjee’s sentiments that the police are dragging their toes.
“It’s an all hands on deck approach and we are tightening our grip in all these provinces,” Mathe added.
The present hotspot provinces embody Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The police are additionally beginning to see a rise within the Western Cape.