National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole has commended members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) following a series of successes in clamping down on cash-in-transit heists.
Sitole’s commendation came after the arrest of several suspects for allegedly planning to commit a CIT robbery in Alice in the Eastern Cape on Monday.
The arresting team consisted of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the Tactical Response Team (TRT), led by Crime Intelligence from the provinces of Eastern Cape and Western Cape.
“The intelligence-driven operation began over the weekend after Crime Intelligence received a tip-off that a group of armed men from the Western Cape were planning to rob a CIT vehicle in Alice in the Eastern Cape,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo in a statement.
Six suspects were arrested during the operation, while four managed to flee are still on the run. The team recovered two R4 rifles, four R5 rifles, a revolver, a minibus and a sedan.
Furthermore, a white Toyota Double Cab was found abandoned along the road at Fort Beaufort. This vehicle was also confiscated. The firearms will be sent for ballistic testing to establish if they were used to commit other crimes.
"While we are making significant inroads into curbing cash-in-transit heists, more work needs to be done as these robberies continue to plague us.
"I continue to call on communities to assist us with any information that can help proactively respond to serious and violent crimes," said Sitole. – SAnews.gov.za
