Thirty suspects have been arrested so far by the task team that was established to crack down on gangs involved in robbing cellphone shops in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

While providing this update on their work and congratulating the team‚ National Commissioner of the South African Police‚ General Riah Phiyega‚ signalled other gang members are still at large.

Last year the two provinces experienced an increase in armed robberies targeted shops selling cellphones and other technology devices‚ prompting Phiyega to set up the task team. Gauteng province was the hardest hit as it suffered 58% of the robberies.

“The ever increasing demand for these gadgets beyond our borders in countries such as Zimbabwe‚ Nigeria and Tanzania has played a role in the surge in these crimes‚” the SAPS said in a statement.

So far more than 30 suspects belonging to three different groups operating in Cape Town and Johannesburg “and are involved multiple armed robberies” are behind bars and are awaiting trial in courts across the country‚ she said in a statement.

Phiyega also expressed concern that majority of the suspects accused in these crimes were out on bail for similar offences. She vowed that the SAPS would “engage with other partners in the criminal justice cluster to ensure that this matter receives the urgent attention it so much deserves”.