New research profiles an average cash-in-transit robber
A taxi driver, a police officer, a cash delivery guard, university student and even a professional boxer. These were some of the professions of cash-in-transit robbers, a new study into this type of crime by the University of South Africa has revealed.
Dr Hennie Lochner, a senior lecturer at the University of South Africa and a former police detective working on cash-in-transit cases, spoke to 21 convicted cash-in-transit robbers about their crimes. The research profiled the criminals and determined their modus operandi. Lochner presented his findings at a seminar at the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) on Wednesday.
"Majority of these respondents had completed Grade 12, two were enrolled students at well-known universities in South Africa while they committed crime. They completed their studies after they were incarcerated. Some were police officers, taxi drivers, disco dancers, entrepreneurs, a professional boxer and handymen," said Lochner.
The respondents listed various reasons for becoming robbers - financial gain, greed, availability of big amounts of cash and the respect among peers that comes with progression into more serious crimes.
Most had committed smaller crimes before graduating to the cash-in-transit robberies.
"In my research I found that the majority of cash-in-transit robbers committed crimes for which they were not arrested, and I can promise a SAPS detective that when they arrest a cash-in-transit robber that they will found that they had committed burglaries, bank robberies and motor vehicle and truck hijackings," Lochner said.
The criminals regarded cash-in-transit as a more prestigious crime, said Lochner. Criminals were classified by other criminals on the type of crime committed and the kind of cash it brought in.
"They believe that they are the ultimate criminals. The more serious the crime, the higher the criminal is in the hierarchy. This is best explained by the quotation from one: 'I have been recognised in my ability to do serious crime and that is why I was selected to be part of cash-in-transit hits. In the life of a criminal, you graduate from small petty crime to bigger ones…you cannot keep doing small things'."
The criminals buy luxury vehicles, properties such as farms, townhouses, expensive clothes and visit expensive restaurants "and areas where they are noticed and flash money" with the huge amounts of cash gotten from the robberies. Two of the respondents' children were enrolled in universities in Europe, added Lochner.
"All the respondents bought properties and movable properties. Their children's studies and expenses are paid using money stolen during cash-in-transit robberies. Expensive cars such as BMWs, Mercedes Benz and so on. As one respondent said 'a car speaks for itself'".
The cars were easily bought from second-hand car dealers to launder money. - ANA