A group of armed men driving a Toyota Quantum minibus robbed a G4S cash-in-transit vehicle on Monday morning near the Carlton Centre in the Johannesburg CBD.
Police spokesman Lieuten
“I can confirm that a G4S security van was robbed‚” he said.
“The suspects‚ who were driving a light-coloured Quantum opened fire at security guards‚ wounding two.”
Makhubele said it was unclear what weapons were used and the exact number of suspects was yet to be determined.
He said a case of armed robbery was being investigated.
Russel Meiring of ER24 said paramedics stabilised two guards on scene and then transported both men to nearby hospitals for further treatment.
This robbery is one of three such incidents in three days.
Robbers struck a cash-in-transit van on the R24 near OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday‚ blasting it open with explosives before making off with the cash.
In Cape Town‚ one SBV guard was killed when robbers opened fire at close range‚ also on Saturday.
Dr Johan Burger‚ a Senior Researcher for the Institute of Security Studies' Crime and Justice Programme‚ said it was difficult to point to a rise in cash-in-transit robberies‚ but said all categories were on the rise.
"We have seen a steady increase in all categories of robberies with aggravating circumstances‚ with cash-in-transit robberies just being one of them‚" he said.
Burger said cash-in-transit robberies were declining from its hey-day in 2008/09 until the 2014/15 year‚ but he said there "were signs" it was on the up since then.
"Even from the police's own stats‚ we are seeing an increase in aggravating robbery for the first three quarters of this financial year. It looks like the increase will continue‚" he said.
Burger said we should be "worried" and expect a "fairly dramatic" increase in serious crimes such as cash-in-transit robberies.
He said the fact that robbers would strike in broad day light and in front of numerous eyewitnesses pointed to their "arrogance" and belief that the chances of being caught were very slim.
