G4S calls for national meeting as cash-in-transit guard is murdered
Security services company G4S has called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholders to address the continuing escalation of violence in cash-in-transit (CIT) attacks, following the death of a G4S CIT employee and the serious injury of another during a CIT attack on April 25.
During a cross-pavement CIT attack in Durban at about 13:30 on April 25, four perpetrators opened fire on three G4S officers, resulting in one sustaining fatal injuries and another sustaining serious injury before being airlifted to a nearby private hospital where he remains in critical condition, the company says.
“These are not ordinary criminals. They are well-organised, cold-blooded murderers whose indiscriminate use of weapons continue to take lives and destroy families. The country and the entire private security industry cannot afford to lose more guards to these brutal attacks and we are, therefore, calling on the Police Minister to take urgent action,” says G4S Southern Africa regional cluster director Renso Smit.
“To tackle CIT attacks, we believe it is essential that this sort of crime is prioritised; that the CIT task team under the South African Police Service (SAPS) be reconstituted and bolstered as a matter of urgency; and that the sector works closely with law enforcement and government to tackle this scourge together.
“There are not enough prosecutions and convictions to deter these criminals, who are operating with impunity. We are therefore calling on Crime Intelligence, SAPS, the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority and the Ministers who lead them, to prioritise CIT crime,” he says.
Ensuring the safety of its people and their wellbeing is a priority, and which is especially critical given the nature of their work. G4S invests significantly, and on an ongoing basis, in equipping its guards with all the training, resources, equipment and tactical support they require for protection, says Smit.
“We are devastated at this tragic and senseless loss and extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. This loss of life is especially senseless since all of our cross pavement devices are equipped with technology that renders 100% of the cash unusable when forced open, meaning that criminals get away with nothing of value,” he adds.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation