Police hunt down JIA heist offenders

Six nailed, more arrests pending, writes Leonard Neill SIX MEMBERS of security companies employed at Johannesburg International Airport have appeared in the Kempton Park magistrate's court in connection with the hijacking of a container conveying R14 million worth of US dollars and Portuguese escudos which were off-loaded from a Swissair aircraft last week. Each member of the group was refused bail and will appear again at a date to be set. Police, meanwhile, have stated that investigations are ongoing and further arrests are pending. "There are at least three other people among those under investigation who are likely to be arrested shortly," Superintendent Eugene Opperman of North Rand police told FTW on Monday morning as this issue went to press. "It is clearly a case of insider operations, with involvement by employees of security companies and others employed in the airport area. But it should be made clear that this incident did not take place at either the point where the aircraft was being unloaded or on any part of the airport apron itself." The container was taken from the aircraft to the front of Guardforce International's premises which operates under extremely high security. According to police reports, the theft took place 15 metres from the entrance to the premises. A group of armed men held up the workers offloading the container from the transport vehicle which had carried it from the aircraft. Guardforce International director Fred Zenna reserved comment pending the outcome of police enquiries. "We are leaving the matter in the hands of the police," he said. "For security reasons we prefer not to make any statement at this stage, but when the whole affair has been cleared up we will be issuing a statement." The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) recently launched a campaign to crack down on crime at airports countrywide, and stated that almost 300 arrests had been made this year, mainly in the passenger sector of JIA, where baggage theft has been rife. In a press statement ACSA chairman Mashudu Ramano said that in the past the company's approach to security at airports was simply to increase the number of physical bodies on guard, with as many as 10 different security companies working under contract. There has also been an insufficient number of police at the airport, according to ACSA, but a further 100 police have recently been seconded to the airport.