CASH IN TRANSIT
South Africa’s cash-intransit (CIT) industry: new trends and solutions as the country’s leaders combine against brutal and ongoing CIT attacks
Following the strapping of a bomb onto a cash-in-transit guard in Cape Town by armed attackers in January 2021 – a shocking first-of-its-kind for South Africa, reportedly – the safety of CIT employees is in the spotlight as never before.
A
nd so are the challenges in a crime category characterised by methodical planning and often extreme violence, says Grant Clark, head of the Cash-in-Transit Association of South Africa (CITASA). Warning of a likely escalation on the back of a number of factors including radicalism, a deeply troubled economy, high levels of unemployment, undersecured borders and a stretched police force, it’s more critical than ever for major players to work together to save lives and
12
SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA APRIL 2021
protect the economy, he says. To this end, the CITASA JOIC (Joint Operations Intelligence Centre) is partnering closely with key role players such as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Directorate for Priority Crime investigation (the Hawks) and leading CIT companies. According to Marlene Welman, Manager of the JOIC, CIT incidents decreased by 3% for the period of January to April in 2021, before ratcheting up by 700% in the days following. In total, 2020 saw a total of
Fleetcam™ surveillance and tracking system in iziCash armoured vehicle.
securityfocusafrica.com
