[The Govt claims that Cash-in-Transit heists are on the decrease. Cash-in-Transit heists are very “military” in fashion, and are extremely violent. It is amazing that none of the security guards died in this one – they often are injured or shot dead during these robberies. Cash-in-transit heists are very lucrative and the robbers get away with millions of rands sometimes. There was a news report today also, of another cash-in-transit heist where 6 black robbers got away with R1 million.

I LOVE the attitude of the shop owner who chased after them in his car intent on ramming them!!! There are some brave people here too… Man… if only we armed more citizens… we would kill these bastards ourselves. The Police do too little.

THE CITIZEN had a news headline today about a MEGA-Corruption conspiracy in the Police – which is being kept under wraps. It appears that millions of rands are involved… So what do you do when the Police themselves are corrupt? I still think that arming the citizens, instead of taking their guns away is the answer. But our crime-loving Government prefers to support the Crime Industry! Jan]

A woman threw her child over a shop counter – then vaulted to safety herself.

And all around her, fellow shoppers dived for cover.

So unfolded a morning of drama at a shopping centre in Somerset West on Monday as a gang of armed robbers attacked a cash-in-transit team.

The start-of-week business at the Vineyard Centre was shattered by violence as a Coin Security guard emerged from a client’s premises with the shop’s weekend takings.

An armed man walked up to the guard and pressed a gun to his head.

He disarmed the guard of his pistol and snatched the cash box, which was filled with more than R35 000.

The robber ran to a waiting car at the nearby car park, firing wildly.

Bottle store manager Jonathan Charity was hit in the arm by a ricocheting bullet.

In the mayhem, one of the Coin guards was hit too, in the hip and arm.

As the robbers sped away, one shopowner decided to take them on. He jumped into his car and chased after them.

“If I’d caught them I would have smashed into them. I’m sick of it – there’s no law here,” he said.

But the robbers managed to shake him off.

Police said soon afterwards that they had recovered the car 4km away near Somerset Mall.

The Coin guard, whom the company did not name, and the bottle store manager, were rushed to Vergelegen Medi-Clinic. The latter is understood to have had shrapnel removed from his arm in an operation on Monday afternoon.

“We are concerned,” said Coin’s Harold Richter.

“We’ve had two attacks in the past seven days.”

This article was originally published on page 8 of Cape Argus on June 07, 2005

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click…/p>