Emphasis will be on ensuring that lessons learnt during the 2007 peak of cash-in transit heists and solutions applied then are critically assessed

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 11, 2018/ -- The Portfolio Committee on Police will focus on 7 priorities during the public hearing on the current spate of cash-in-transit heists that will take place this coming Wednesday, 13 June 2018 in Parliament.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Francois Beukman said that the aim of the public hearing is to bring all role-players in the cash-in-transit industry, especially in the security and law enforcement environment, under one roof and ascertain whether sufficient short-term and long term measures are in place to deal with the current scourge of cash- in -transit heists.

“Cash-in-transit heists directly affect the safety of security officers, the SAPS and members of the public and the general perception of safety in the Republic and the Portfolio Committee needs assurances of the role players that the necessary pro-active steps are in place to deal with the current challenges,” Mr Beukman said.   

The 7 areas of priority that the Portfolio Committee will focus on during the hearing are

• The intelligence and operational readiness of the South African Police Services;
• The current cooperation between the SAPS and the private security industry;
• Vetting procedures in the police and private security industry;
• State of training, vehicles and protective gear of security officers;
• Regularity environment and the role of PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulation Authority)  
• Cooperation between the banking sector and law enforcement agencies; and
• Technological innovations to curb the incentives to engage in cash-in transit heists.

Beukman said that apart from the SAPS that will brief the Committee on Wednesday other role players that will participate in Wednesday includes the big three private security companies, trade union representing the private security industry, SABRIC (South African Banking Risk Information Centre), Business against Crime and PSIRA.

Emphasis will be on ensuring that lessons learnt during the 2007 peak of cash-in transit heists and solutions applied then are critically assessed. “The root causes for the current situation should be directly interrogated and the law enforcement agencies must re-asses their analysis and methodology dealing with serious organised crime,” Mr Beukman concluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament