Petrol station forecourt easy prey for criminals
THE pandemic of crime has often hit many South Africans while visiting petrol stations across the country while topping up fuel or buying supplies.
Some of the victims have been targeted while using automated teller machines (ATMs) which are often found at filling stations. Similarly, the filling stations themselves have been hit by violent crimes including robberies targeting their cash safes.
The situation is compounded by lack of security personnel at the petrol stations, leaving hapless fuel attendants and customers vulnerable when rapacious criminals make unannounced visits.
Amid widespread, less reported cases of customers being robbed of personal items including cellphones, South Africa awoke recently to the tragic news of Kaizer Chiefs defender Luke Fleurs being fatally shot in a botched hijacking on 14th Avenue in Honeydew, north Johannesburg.
After the incident, Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni assigned a special task-team to investigate and arrest the killers.
On Friday, six men made their first appearance in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court over the incident.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the men have been identified as Ndumiso Moswane, Fernando Sive, Nhlakanipho Dlamini, Franky Xaba, Maredi Mphahlele and Thembinkosi Hlomikhawu.
The six, believed to be part of a syndicate, were swiftly traced and arrested in Slovoville, Soweto. Fleurs’s car, a VW Golf 8 GTI, was found stripped.
Speaking to IOL anti-crime activist and investigative TV personality Yusuf Abramjee said crime haunting filling stations has been on the rise. “Forecourts are also being targeted. We are seeing dramatic increase in ATM bombings. Filling stations are seen as easy target,” he said.
“Although most have cameras, it’s not a deterrent to these gangs. Security needs to be beefed up.
“The use or additional measures including the use of technology needs to be considered,” said Abramjee, who presents Crime Watch on e.tv and eNCA.
He said brazen criminals are using explosives to prise open safes at the filling stations.
“Stock is also stolen from the stores. We also seeing hijackings and robberies are on the increase at filling stations. The industry needs to urgently find ways to make filling stations safe.”
IOL also spoke to renowned criminologist, Professor Kholofelo Rakubu, who highlighted that petrol stations were highly vulnerable due to the cattractive assets at the stations.
Rakubu, head of Tshwane University of Technology’s recently merged Department of Law, Safety and Security Management, said: “Due to high crime level in South Africa, each and every business is vulnerable and customers and staff members are highly vulnerable to victimisation. At least one violent crime is committed every day at a South African petrol station.
“To top it all, petrol attendants are among the most poorly paid in our formal economy,” said Rakubu.
“During robberies or attacks at the petrol stations, common targeted items include cash, money safes, customers’ cars and cellphones, while ATMs are bombed. This has led to serious injuries and deaths of both customers, staff and armed-response personnel.”
She said petrol stations are identified by criminals as “suitable places” to unleash their criminal acts because of glaring absence of a “capable guardian” – the lack security, devices to counter crime, and inefficient poor policing. “The offenders studied safety at this petrol station to know how to access and exit the area and how long will it take for security officials stationed at the station to respond,” said Rakubu.
“Clearly, security measures at the stations are not on par with the level of crime hence increased level of victimisation at petrol stations.”
Absence of the application of the principles of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) exposes both staff and customers to crime.
Although principles of CPTED are aimed at creating a safer physical environment, they also support the creation of well performing living environments in general.
Rakubu said levels of surveillance implemented at petrol stations are extremely poor, hence it fails in most cases in the identification of the offender or spotting of crime before it occurs. “Poor surveillance serves as security threat,” she said.