A prominent courier company in South Africa has contracted Tshenolo Private Investigations (PI) to provide armed escorts for its delivery vehicles in and around the Pretoria metro, with particular focus areas being the townships of Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, Mabopane, and Soshanguve.
This is due to the region experiencing a “spike in courier company robberies,” a spokesperson for Tshenolo PI confirmed to TopAuto.
Following the most recent case in which a courier vehicle experienced yet another robbery on the 11th of August in Atteridgeville, Tshenolo PI approached the operator to propose several safety measures including armed escorts, and it decided it could no longer go without them.
These incidents are damaging not only to the employees and the vehicles, but also to the company’s reputation and its bottom line as it now takes longer to deliver goods to customers than usual, and it must spend more and more on insurance and safety measures to continue operations. The courier also requested its name not be made public as it could jeopardise its plans for a safer work environment.
This follows a similar practice employed by the Gauteng province’s emergency services such as ambulances, which, starting December 2022, are not allowed to enter over 38 “red zones”, including the aforementioned Atteridgeville, Mamelodi, and Soshanguve, without an armed escort by police or a private security outfit due to safety concerns for its drivers and vehicles.
A growing need
According to Tshenolo PI, armed escort services are a growing need for couriers in South Africa as criminals have realised that they often carry high-value products/resources destined to be delivered to the end consumer.
With the growing trend of online shopping and, until now, a lack of stringent security measures, they are also easy targets that are becoming more abundant on the roads every day.
For now, the organisation in question has only contracted Tshenolo PI on a temporary basis and on key routes through townships around Pretoria, though if the need arises, the company may require Tshenolo to support each and every outgoing vehicle on an indefinite basis to ensure safe travels.
“We would like to see all courier companies come together and give township security companies the opportunity to offer their escort services,” concludes Tshenolo PI.
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