Statistics from the beginning of the year to the end of May show that KwaZulu-Natal has joined Gauteng as the highest-risk provinces for cash-in-transit (CIT) heists.
This is according to Alice Maree, who is the incident and analytics manager of the Cash-in-transit Association of South Africa’s (Citasa).
Maree was speaking after a security guard was shot during an attempted CIT heist in the Durban CBD on Monday.
She said for the period January to end-May this year, the highest-risk provinces are Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, each accounting for 26% of the CIT robberies committed in the country.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police are investigating cases of attempted murder and attempted robbery following an incident in which armed suspects attempted to rob a cash delivery truck on the corner of Bertha Mkhize and Joe Slovo streets.
Netshiunda said it was reported on Monday morning that cash delivery security guards had just collected money from a store when they were ambushed by the suspects, who opened fire on them.
“A security guard sustained a gunshot wound on the upper arm and was taken to hospital for medical attention,” he said.
Netshiunda said the suspects failed to gain access to the money and fled the scene.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said they responded to the incident just after 7.40am.
Jamieson said when paramedics arrived at the scene, they found the SAPS, metro police and SAPS Search and Rescue officers in attendance and were shown to an injured guard lying on the pavement next to his vehicle.
“Paramedics assessed the man and found that he had sustained a serious gunshot wound to his upper body. He was stabilised on the scene by advanced life support paramedics before being rushed to a nearby hospital for the further care that he required,” he said.
CIitasa said in comparison with the same period, January to May last year, CIT robberies in KZN had increased by 5% this year.
However, Maree said nationally, CIT robberies had decreased by 30% from January to May this year in comparison with the same period last year.
“Various factors attributed to the national decrease in CIT robberies including collaboration initiatives between different role-players such as the police, courts, law enforcement units, the public as well as the CIT industry,” she said.
She said another contributing factor was the arrest of several CIT robbers who operated across provincial borders.
Head of Citasa, Grant Clark, said injuries and the loss of life during CIT robberies were of serious concern.
“One life lost is one too many.”
Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, said the CIT industry formed the Citasa to find solutions to this problem and to liaise with the state authorities.
“ Citasa members are working closely with SAPS to take down these syndicates.”
Thomas said CIT heists are a massive problem in South Africa.
He said heists are occurring on a frequent basis and security officers are losing their lives.
According to Thomas, SAPS Crime Intelligence is making inroads in identifying and disrupting crime syndicates involved in CIT heists.
“The state has to give SAPS Crime Intelligence more resources to grow their capacity in order to ensure more successful take-downs of crime syndicates,” he said.
The Mercury