CAPE TOWN – The retail industry has commended the government and law enforcement for its efforts in ensuring a decline in business, bank and cash-in-transit robberies, although the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele highlighted that businesses still operated in a danger zone.
“With 55 armed robbery attacks and 195 burglaries a day – this remains a huge concern, and begs for greater efforts by all concerned,” said Phillips on Thursday. The Consumer Goods Council of SA confirmed that armed robbery attacks against their retail members over the same reported period, decreased by 12 percent compared to 2 272 in the previous period, while burglary attacks dropped by 13 percent.
Phillips applauded the 23 percent reduction in violent attacks against the CIT companies for the reported period, but noted that in the first eight months of this year, incidents of CIT robbery had escalated to an average of over eight incidents a week.