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CMY3706 EXAMINATION PREPARATION
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CMY3706 EXAM PREPCIT ROBBERIES (MODUS OPERANDI, PROFILE, PREVENTION
MEASURES) – 25 MARKS
1. INTRODUCTION
Cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies have become a regular occurrence in South Africa. Incidents have been
recorded as early as 1971, an example of which is “The Great Trust Bank Robbery”. Much planning and
precision goes into the orchestration of a heist, and the offenders often take their time doing sufficient
investigative research of the movements of CIT vehicles, as well as the behaviour of the guards. On most
occasions, large sums of money are stolen, and seldom recovered.
2. DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS
According to the South African Banking Risk Intelligence Centre (SABRIC 2010:6), CIT robbery refers to
the violent seizing of cash. It is defined as unlawful, and occurs while under the supervision and control of
a security company. Incidents of CIT robberies can take place outside or inside a bank, or on other
premises.
An armoured vehicle (AV) is one used for the purpose of safely transporting the cash from one premises to
another. They are re-enforced and often armour-plated to withstand physical attacks.
Modus operandi refers to the method used by perpetrators to carry out the robberies.
3. MODUS OPERANDI OF CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERS
There are believed to be two main forms of CIT attacks (Esterhuysen 2014:3). The first one is the type that
takes place on the road, usually freeways. A security van which is travelling to transport cash either from or
to premises is immobilised by means of ramming it or boxing it in, to then be able to remove the cash.
The second type takes place when a CIT staff member is carrying or loading the cash onto a stationery
security vehicle, or if the staff member is offloading the cash from the stationery vehicle to carry into the
bank. This category of CIT robbery is called cross-pavement robbery.
The perpetrators take much time in planning and preparing for these robberies. The accuracy of the plan
often dictates the probability of the robbery being successful (Hubschle 2010:41). Included in the planning
process is choosing the target, choosing gang members, deciding on weapons and getaway vehicles,
considering the use of disguises, evaluating security measures used by the target and how this can be
bypassed, and the delegation of the various tasks (Hubschle 2010:45; Willis 2006:4). According to
Thobane (2014:201), this planning process usually takes about one week to two months, depending on the
difficulty of the job. The timing of robberies are carefully selected to limit possible witnesses and to reduce
the possibility of interruptions (Morrison and O’Donnell:1996).
3.1 MEMBERSHIP AND CONNECTIONS
Recruiting members is a very important part of the planning process. Criteria for recruitment include
expertise, characteristics, as well as available resources. It is often the case that there is no single leader,
and any of the members can recruit new members. There are usually groups belonging to certain township
areas, and they may call on each other to assist in robberies if felt necessary, but usually in the case of CIT
robberies, a group of five to six people is needed.
3.2 OTHER ASSOCIATES
Robbery crews will often enlist the cooperation of an employee from the bank/CIT company that they are
planning to target for a robbery. This helps to ensure the success of the robbery, as the perpetrators are
fed inside information which provides them with an added advantage.
3.3 WEAPONS
The weapons most often used in CIT robberies are AK47s, handguns, machine guns, crow bars, CZs
(Thobane 2014:170). Robbers also make use of knives to open bags, and spiked chains to incapacitate a
security vehicle. According to Rossouw (2004:43), other weapons also used in CIT robberies also include
LM4s and LM5s.
, 3.4 TASK ALLOCATION
Thobane (2014:164-165) identified various roles and responsibilities of group members. These include
front men, cash collectors, guards/spotters, machaisa/madubula, rovers, drivers and off-ramp drivers.
3.4.1 Front men
The main responsibility of the front men is to attack the escort, as well as the CIT officer guarding
the cash in the armoured vehicle. These men need to be fast and flexible.
3.4.2 Cash collectors
After the front men have disarmed the escort and/or CIT officers, the cash collectors open the
vehicle to remove the cash. The cash is then passed on to the ground men to be loaded in their
vehicle.
3.4.3 Guards/Spotters
These members are in charge of controlling the traffic. They also remove any valuables and
weapons from witnesses. Their main responsibility is to keep an eye out for armed response such
as police, and deter them getting too close by opening fire on them.
3.4.4 Machaisa/Madubula
Depending on what is required during a robbery, a machaisa would be responsible for ramming an
armoured vehicle with another vehicle, while a madubula would instead shoot the tyres of the AV to
stop it. Should both roles need to be fulfilled in a heist, a mabudula would usually only initiate attack
if the attempt by the machaisa was unsuccessful.
3.4.5 Rovers
These members move around the scene of attack to ensure that the time taken to carry out the
robbery does not exceed the conventional time of 10 minutes or less.
3.4.6 Drivers
This role is usually given to the member(s) with the best driving skils, as they are required to be able
to escape the scene of the crime as quickly as possible, before getting caught by responding law
enforcement.
3.4.7 Off-ramp drivers
These are drivers who park a distance away from where the robbery is taking place. They are
usually parked in a place that will allow them quick escape, and easy access to the main road in
order to get away. The robbers will travel in vehicles from the robbery scene to where the off-ramp
driver is parked, where the first vehicles will be abandoned and the escape will be made in the off-
ramp vehicle.
4. PROFILE OF THE PERPETRATORS
In Thobane’s study (2014:121-152) is was found that all CIT robbers are usually male. The majority is
comprised of African origin, with records of secondary education but no formal military training. These
perpetrators usually originate from large families, although majority are often not raised by both parents.
Childhood history often depicts behaviour of an antisocial nature, with incidents of stealing and fighting.
Research demonstrates that the offending onset occurs between the ages of 11 and 15, primarily with petty
crimes, following which it then escalates to more serious crimes (Thobane:2014). However, in the case of
CIT robberies, participants of interviews reported that they had committed their first robbery between the
ages of 21 and 25.
Criminal behaviour is usually not as a result of a single risk factor, but an outcome of multiple risk factors.
Armed robbers are usually guilty of committing various other offences in the process of carrying out the
robbery. “Cash-in-transit robbers are the most dangerous and violent criminals in South Africa,” Hennie
Lochner, senior lecturer at Unisa’s department of police practice.
There are three main typologies of CIT offenders, amateurs, intermediate and professional offenders
(Smith and Louis:2010). The category that an offender fits in is determined their criminal history, as well as
their level of planning and execution of the robbery.
According to Smith and Louis (2010), amateur armed robbers are most often opportunistic, short signed
and not fully aware of what is to be expected from the robbery situation. Intermediate offends are slightly
more organised and experienced, but have not yet developed the same level of dedication as a
professional armed robber. It is also noted that CIT robberies in South Africa are often closely linked to
organise crime syndicates.
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