Bid to reduce bank-related crimes

Witbank is the number one hotspot for bank-related crimes in recent years, including ATM bombings and robberies.

Johannesburg - Witbank is the number one hotspot for bank-related crimes in recent years, including ATM bombings and robberies.

In a bid to combat this, police began an intensive anti-crime campaign earlier this year, which saw the number of these types of crime drop.

Following this success, the police are attempting to replicate the initiative in Alberton, which is ranked second on the bank-related crime hotspots list.

On Tuesday, a pledge of commitment was signed between the police and various organisations in a bid to reduce bank-related crimes.

The organisations include the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric), the Consumer Goods Council, officials from the City of Ekurhuleni and the community police forum.

The national and Gauteng police commissioners, as well as officers from the Ekurhuleni metro police department, were at the signing of the pledge.

National police spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale told The Star one of the reasons Alberton was a hotspot was because it was near major highways, making it quick and easy for criminals to escape after a robbery.

In Alberton alone, there were 114 suspects on the wanted list, Makgale said.

In a bid to reduce the spike in crimes, the police and Sabric would begin working together. The anti-crime programme would also involve an integration between the SAPS and the metro police.

“Both units of the police will conduct roadblocks in the area, where officers will not only be looking for traffic violations but also for stolen vehicles and counterfeit goods,” Makgale said.

Officers from both policing units would be visible in the local communities, especially around malls and banks. Undercover policemen in plainclothes would also be stationed around the areas to be on the lookout for “spotters”, who watch people going in and out of banks to pick victims for robbery.

The third part of the initiative involves tracing the 114 suspects who are on the wanted list.

Police would work closely with Sabric on this.

“We will used their CCTV footage to find suspects,” said Makgale. He said feedback would be given regularly.

karishma.dipa@inl.co.za

@Karishma_Dipa

The Star