The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), and the Directorate For Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), have announced the launch of the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) for the Cash-In-Transit (CIT) industry. This will deal with all CIT industry related crime incidents and other related operations during the festive season.
SABRIC CEO, Mrs. Kalyani Pillay, explains: "The purpose of the Joint Operations Centre will be to provide assistance, support and response capabilities to all the CIT vehicles operating at any place within South Africa. This initiative, in essence, means that each CIT vehicle can be monitored and communicated with at any given time from the centre. We believe that this effort will contribute to the safety of the CIT vehicle crew and the general public."
The Joint Operations Centre will be based at the DPCI Head Office in Pretoria. It will have response support both from ground and air, and these services will be provided jointly by the SAPS and the CIT companies. According to SABRIC, the participating companies which include G4S, Fidelity Security Services, Protea Coin and SBV, will second staff to the JOC who will manage operations concurrently with members of the SAPS DPCI.
Pillay continues, "The festive season period is generally characterised by high economic activity and this increases opportunities for criminals to take their chances. For this reason the Cash In Transit industry has agreed on this initiative with the SAPS. SABRIC enjoys a good relationship with the SAPS regarding all matters affecting our clients and we remain indebted to them. "We are optimistic that the full might of the collaborative efforts of the SAPS and the CIT Companies will yield the desired results" says Pillay.
Head of DPCI (Hawks), Anwa Dramat says "this initiative will go a long way in further reducing the number of cash in transit robberies, and saving the lives of employees working in this important industry." The SAPS, SABRIC and other stakeholders are proud of this important partnership.
Enqueries:
Bongani Diako
Tel: 011 847 3134
Cell: 082 788 2219
Fax: 011 847 3234
McIntosh Polela
Cell: 082 475 1427
E-mail: mediacentre@saps.org.za
Cash-In-Transit Companies and Hawks launch Joint Operations in preparation for festive season
