Security in Johannesburg’s airfreight industry has been seriously heightened in recent times because of a spate of robberies in and at operations around the OR Tambo International Airport (Ortia). “There has been a huge increase in robberies in the industry,” said Alwyn Rautenbach, executive manager of Airlink International Cargo and chairman of the Air Cargo Operators' Committee (Acoc). “There is no apparent reason but it would appear that criminal syndicates are targeting airfreight to and from the airport.” The fact the robbers are carrying AK 47s and other highclass arms, are working to carefully laid-out plans, and have detailed information of cargo movement for each heist would seem to confirm this presumption. The low-volume, highvalue nature of air cargo and its easy marketability obviously makes it a popular target for theft, according to Rautenbach. “So it’s mostly cell phones, laptops and that type of cargo that they’re aiming at,” he said. This outburst in crime has led to airports and operators instituting various security measures to combat cargo theft. “Hopefully, police intelligence will be able to identify these criminal gangs and stick them behind bars pretty soon,” Rautenbach said.
