THEME 5.3: CASH IN TRANSIT (CIT)ROBBERIES
DEFINITION:
The unlawful, intentional and violent seizing of cash while it is under the
control of a security company.
This includes incidents that take place both inside and outside a bank or
other premises.
Thobane (2014:24) defines a CIT robbery as follows:
Illegal and violent interception/ taking of cash, while under the protection of a
security company, from an Armoured Vehicle (AV) en route to deliver or collect
cash from a bank/ATM.
Or where a security officer crosses the pavement to either deliver cash from a
motionless vehicle to the bank/ATM or to load cash from the bank/ATM onto the
vehicle is attacked (cash is removed from the stationary vehicle)
Also include cash collection from or drop off at businesses.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CIT ROBBERIES:
“The Great Trust Bank Robbery”
Took place on 29 April 1971
R240 000.00 was stolen from an AV
Perpetrators: Van der Merwe and Whitehead
Read scenario on page 189
CIT robbers have become more sophisticated and ruthless – they plan their
heists with military precision
Offenders have been found to be members of military units. (e.g. UmKhontho
we Sizwe (MK) or the SAPS)
These individuals use their expertise to facilitate successful robberies.
EXTENT OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERIES
The SAPS reported that CIT robberies decreased by 7,8% from 386 incidents in
2008/2009 to 358 in 2009/2010.
This declining trend prevailed during the four-year period from 2009/2010 to
2012/2013, when a decrease of 62,4% was recorded with an average of 15,6%
annually.
There was a decrease of 20,3% in 2012/2013 compared to 2011/2012 (SAPS
2013:86).
Former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa attributed this decrease in the number of CIT
incidents to the "arrests of key criminals and the police's rapid response" (SAPS
2012:45).
The prevalence of CIT robberies can be attributed to the following factors:
More cash in circulation.
Inadequate cash management processes.
Ineffective information sharing between affected parties.
The absence of minimum standards for vehicles, training, vetting and so on
among the companies that move cash.
CIT guards are generally outnumbered in terms of personnel and firepower
during attacks.
, Limited use or availability of SAPS and back-up vehicles.
Inadequate environmental design, which for example results in areas for cash
pick-ups and drops at shopping malls being the same as the areas used by the
public.
COST OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERIES
actual cash lost in the CIT incident itself,
continually investing millions of Rands to improve security measures and
hardening targets in an attempt to deter criminals from committing this crime,
CIT robberies also negatively affect the image of the security company or the
bank involved.
This means that when a security company or bank is robbed constantly,
investors, businesses and the public at large tend to lose faith in that particular
security company or bank.
As a result, clients may consider taking their business elsewhere.
weapons such as high-calibre firearms, explosives and petrol are usually used
during CIT robberies.
From this, it is evident that CIT incidents do not only have a negative financial
implication, but human life is also lost.
MODUS OPERANDI OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERS
2 forms of CIT attacks.
1. The one type takes place on the road, especially on freeways, where a
security van en route to deliver or collect cash is immobilised either by ramming
it or boxing it in to remove cash from the inside of the vehicle.
2. The second type takes place when cash is taken as a CIT personnel
member carries it to or loads it on a stationary security vehicle, or as
the CIT personnel member offloads it from the stationary security
vehicle and carries it to the bank in a CPC. This category of CIT robbery is
called cross-pavement robbery.
Planning is an essential element of successful CIT robberies.
The planning process includes casing (replacing) the target; choosing gang
members, weapons, getaway vehicles and disguises; assessing security
measures used by the target and how they can be bypassed; and the allocation
of tasks.
CIT robbers take about one week to two months to plan their attack.
time taken to plan the CIT robbery depends on the difficulty of the "job" and the
availability of inside information.
they worked hand-in-hand with bank/CIT company employees who provided
them with information such as the layout of the bank, when the AV will be
delivering the cash, how much is in the AV, who is on duty or which route the AV
will take.
All this information facilitates the crime or makes the robbery easier.
The person who provides the inside information is given some money upfront by
the robbers and gets a percentage of the cash from the robbery.
Membership and connections
DEFINITION:
The unlawful, intentional and violent seizing of cash while it is under the
control of a security company.
This includes incidents that take place both inside and outside a bank or
other premises.
Thobane (2014:24) defines a CIT robbery as follows:
Illegal and violent interception/ taking of cash, while under the protection of a
security company, from an Armoured Vehicle (AV) en route to deliver or collect
cash from a bank/ATM.
Or where a security officer crosses the pavement to either deliver cash from a
motionless vehicle to the bank/ATM or to load cash from the bank/ATM onto the
vehicle is attacked (cash is removed from the stationary vehicle)
Also include cash collection from or drop off at businesses.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CIT ROBBERIES:
“The Great Trust Bank Robbery”
Took place on 29 April 1971
R240 000.00 was stolen from an AV
Perpetrators: Van der Merwe and Whitehead
Read scenario on page 189
CIT robbers have become more sophisticated and ruthless – they plan their
heists with military precision
Offenders have been found to be members of military units. (e.g. UmKhontho
we Sizwe (MK) or the SAPS)
These individuals use their expertise to facilitate successful robberies.
EXTENT OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERIES
The SAPS reported that CIT robberies decreased by 7,8% from 386 incidents in
2008/2009 to 358 in 2009/2010.
This declining trend prevailed during the four-year period from 2009/2010 to
2012/2013, when a decrease of 62,4% was recorded with an average of 15,6%
annually.
There was a decrease of 20,3% in 2012/2013 compared to 2011/2012 (SAPS
2013:86).
Former Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa attributed this decrease in the number of CIT
incidents to the "arrests of key criminals and the police's rapid response" (SAPS
2012:45).
The prevalence of CIT robberies can be attributed to the following factors:
More cash in circulation.
Inadequate cash management processes.
Ineffective information sharing between affected parties.
The absence of minimum standards for vehicles, training, vetting and so on
among the companies that move cash.
CIT guards are generally outnumbered in terms of personnel and firepower
during attacks.
, Limited use or availability of SAPS and back-up vehicles.
Inadequate environmental design, which for example results in areas for cash
pick-ups and drops at shopping malls being the same as the areas used by the
public.
COST OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERIES
actual cash lost in the CIT incident itself,
continually investing millions of Rands to improve security measures and
hardening targets in an attempt to deter criminals from committing this crime,
CIT robberies also negatively affect the image of the security company or the
bank involved.
This means that when a security company or bank is robbed constantly,
investors, businesses and the public at large tend to lose faith in that particular
security company or bank.
As a result, clients may consider taking their business elsewhere.
weapons such as high-calibre firearms, explosives and petrol are usually used
during CIT robberies.
From this, it is evident that CIT incidents do not only have a negative financial
implication, but human life is also lost.
MODUS OPERANDI OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERS
2 forms of CIT attacks.
1. The one type takes place on the road, especially on freeways, where a
security van en route to deliver or collect cash is immobilised either by ramming
it or boxing it in to remove cash from the inside of the vehicle.
2. The second type takes place when cash is taken as a CIT personnel
member carries it to or loads it on a stationary security vehicle, or as
the CIT personnel member offloads it from the stationary security
vehicle and carries it to the bank in a CPC. This category of CIT robbery is
called cross-pavement robbery.
Planning is an essential element of successful CIT robberies.
The planning process includes casing (replacing) the target; choosing gang
members, weapons, getaway vehicles and disguises; assessing security
measures used by the target and how they can be bypassed; and the allocation
of tasks.
CIT robbers take about one week to two months to plan their attack.
time taken to plan the CIT robbery depends on the difficulty of the "job" and the
availability of inside information.
they worked hand-in-hand with bank/CIT company employees who provided
them with information such as the layout of the bank, when the AV will be
delivering the cash, how much is in the AV, who is on duty or which route the AV
will take.
All this information facilitates the crime or makes the robbery easier.
The person who provides the inside information is given some money upfront by
the robbers and gets a percentage of the cash from the robbery.
Membership and connections
