Public hearing to tackle surge in ‘military’ heists

THE recent surge in cash-intransit heists will come under scrutiny on Wednesday when Parliament holds a public hearing to look into measures to tackle the crime.

This comes days after Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula called on law enforcement agencies to come together and closely look into the crime, which was threatening to spiral out of control.

Yesterday, police portfolio committee chairperson Francois Beukman said the aim of the public hearing was to bring all role-players in the cash-intransit industry, especially in the security and law enforcement environment, under one roof and ascertain whether sufficient short- and long- term measures were in place to deal with the crime.

“Cash-in-transit heists directly affect the safety of security officers, the SAPS, the public and the general perception of safety in the republic, and the portfolio committee needs assurances of the role-players that the necessary proactive steps are in place to deal with the challenges,” Beukman said.

There has been a resurgence of cash-in-transit heists, with more than 180 reported countrywide since the beginning of the year.

The heists are often carried out with military-style precision and there is an increase in the use of explosives.

Beukman said the public hearing would focus on the intelligence and operational readiness of the SAPS and co-operation between the SAPS and the private security industry.

Vetting procedures in the police and private security industry, the role of the Private Security Industry Regulation Authority and the co-operation of the banking sector and law enforcement agencies would be looked into, as well as technological innovations to curb the incentives to engage in cash-in transit heists.

The portfolio committee has previously called for crime intelligence and detection operations to be increased and the relevant specialised units tasked to deal with the heists.

Close co-operation between SAPS and the relevant private security companies had been emphasised to ensure risk factors such as internal collusion between staff and syndicates was dealt with head-on.

Mapisa-Nqakula warned about reducing the defence force. Briefing the joint standing committee on defence, she said investment and economic growth was unlikely because nobody would wanted to invest in a country with instability.

“We need to conduct an analysis which will give answers that go beyond just ordinary criminality.

“All of us should jointly come together, analyse the phenomenon we are dealing with and find a solution to this phenomenon,” she said.