SPECIAL FEATURE: CASH-IN-TRANSIT
The global cash industry Trends and warnings as CIT heists spiked again in SA in early 2020 Prior to the global Covid-19 lockdown, the world’s cash logistics market was on track to grow to almost $31 billion.
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ccording to Allied Market Research, in its Cash Logistics Market report, the growth would come on the back of increasing demand for cash by emerging economies along with increasing numbers of cash transactions and an increase in ATM installations – despite restraints such as the growth of digital payments and an increase in cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies worldwide. It’s anyone’s guess now as to what’s going to happen going forward, but suffice to say that cash remains a critical currency and perhaps even more so during the pandemic.
Heists spike again in SA in 2020 For countries like South Africa, violent CIT attacks have been an almost daily occurrence for years. The country held its collective breath that the 23 per cent decrease in heists reported by the South African Police Service (SAPS) during 2018 / 2019 heralded a consistent downward trend. But with 45 attacks reported during January and February 2020 alone, CIT
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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA APRIL 2020
attacks are following a “seesaw” trend that is influenced by sporadic interventions by police and the cash management industry, believes Dr Johan Burger of the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). And then in March this year, a particularly vicious attack on an armoured cash van in North West Province made headlines after claiming the lives of two members of the Hawks, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI). While commending the Hawks and the Special Task Force rapid response team for their interventions and actions during and after the attack, Minister of Police General Bheki Cele said in a media statement that “the apprehension of five suspects, with three fatally shot and two injured, (could) only bring cold comfort to those who lived and worked with the slain members”. According to the media report, Special Task Force members had engaged the suspects, after they had shot at and forced a cash security van off the road in a three-vehicle attack. The suspects
were confronted as they blew open the van and retaliated with gun fire before scattering in different directions. In their attempt to escape, two of the suspects’ vehicles “faced off ” with members of the Technical Operations Management Section (TOMS) of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) during which Detective Warrant Officer Delene Grobelaar (44) was fatally shot. The suspects then fled, and a manhunt ensued in earnest which resulted in the arrest of another suspect at a Johannesburg hospital. A follow-up operation tracked the suspects to a filling station, where they were confronted by TOMS members. The suspects retaliated with AK47 rifles, fatally wounding Detective Sergeant Wynand Herbst (42). Three suspects were also killed and two seriously injured during the clash. Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi told media that police had seized three AK47 rifles, two 9mm pistols, a bakkie and a minibus connected to the crime, while National Hawks Head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya said that a “bigger” team had been assembled
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