Decline in bank robberies the largest since 2006: Sabric Missing

THERE has been a decrease in bank robberies this year, says the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric).

“Associated robberies decreased by 23%. The biggest decrease has been recorded in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces where associated robberies showed a 40% and 46% decrease respectively,” the organisation said yesterday.

“However, Mpumalanga showed an unfortunate 29% increase in associated robberies, which is a concern to the banking industry. The 23% decrease we currently see, is the largest recorded since 2006.”

“Last year, the banking industry recorded a 30% increase in associated robberies.”

Mpumalanga has been targeted by the police and Sabric to confront the increase in robberies in that province.

“We embarked on an intervention programme in the Witbank area in partnership with the SA Police Service since April this year. This is due to the increase in bank-related crimes in that area, and we can confidently say that the interventions are beginning to show a decline in these crimes as arrests are being effected,” Sabric said.

The partnership were compiling a list of the top 100 suspects wanted for banking crimes nationwide, as well as a top 20 most wanted suspects per identified hot spot.

Avoid

The lists would be made public soon, Sabric said.

Sabric chief executive Kalyani Pillay said advice to people to avoid carrying large amounts of cash had been heeded in favour of alternative methods of banking.

However, Sabric warned that there were still incidents where people were robbed and killed after withdrawing large amounts of cash.

Criminals used spotters to observe clients transacting inside the bank and then followed them after they had withdrawn large amounts of cash.

“The other modus operandi is using ‘the money bomb scam’ where the perpetrator drops a roll of paper, covered with an official bank note to attract the attention of an identified target.

“The target in most cases is a bank client who has just made a large cash withdrawal from the bank. Once the client attempts to pick up the cash, a co-perpetrator would also claim the cash and suggest they all share it.”

The cash was shared at a location away from the bank where the bank client is then robbed of the cash he had just withdrawn.

In other instances, criminals pretending to be police officers would approach a person carrying cash, tell him he was under arrest and take him to a secluded location where they rob him, said the Sabric.

The organisation advised bank clients to use internet and cellphone banking if they needed to transfer large sums of cash and to avoid withdrawing too much cash at ATMs and banks. – African News Agency Police are searching for 13-year-old Shanice Singh, who was last seen by a friend at the Lower Marine Parade on July 26. The Durban teenager has been missing for almost two weeks. Police have appealed to the public to come forward with any information on her whereabouts. She was wearing a purple and black Puma tracksuit and black shoes at the time of her disappearance. Anyone with information can contact Constable Ogle of SAPS Durban Central at 031-325 4367/084 424 5928 or crime stop at 08600 10111.