A daring syndicate is allegedly behind the spate of break-ins into key security and justice institutions.
"We can say there seems to be a trend where information is stolen from state institutions engaged in sensitive investigations," Gareth Newham, head of the governance, crime and justice division at the Institute for Security Studies, told Sowetan yesterday.
Newham spoke in the wake of yet another burglary at the offices of the Gauteng North Director of Public Prosecutions on Sunday night.
The burglars managed to gain access to the highly secure building by bypassing multiple CCTV cameras and security guards on duty.
Once inside, they allegedly made their way to the second floor where they entered two offices diagonally opposite each other, making off with computers and other electronic devices without alerting the guards. The thieves were believed to have gained access to each office by climbing through small windows above the doors.
Hawks‚ NPA break-ins ‘inside jobs’‚ says Mbalula
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said two laptops were stolen at offices occupied by prosecutors.
"No dockets were stolen. At the moment we don't know what those laptops contained. Our IT [department] is investigating that," said Mfaku.
The NPA is the second institution targeted in as many weeks. The Hawks, an elite unit of the police, were burgled last week and several computers from the finance, supply chain management and human resource management were stolen.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said: "Investigations are ongoing to uncover the internal job that might be involved ."
State Security spokesman Brian Dube said indications that the break-ins were an inside job needed to be addressed before blaming the spooks for failing to protect state offices. "It's clear in all these instances there's likelihood of inside information. It's highly likely that there's involvement of people who work inside those structures."
Newham said: "We should be very worried because it means there's a group of people who find it relatively easy to break into institutions. If institutions established to fight corruption are not secured, a lot of us are not secured," said Newham.
How gang robbed NPA offices
A daring syndicate is allegedly behind the spate of break-ins into key security and justice institutions.
"We can say there seems to be a trend where information is stolen from state institutions engaged in sensitive investigations," Gareth Newham, head of the governance, crime and justice division at the Institute for Security Studies, told Sowetan yesterday.
Newham spoke in the wake of yet another burglary at the offices of the Gauteng North Director of Public Prosecutions on Sunday night.
The burglars managed to gain access to the highly secure building by bypassing multiple CCTV cameras and security guards on duty.
Once inside, they allegedly made their way to the second floor where they entered two offices diagonally opposite each other, making off with computers and other electronic devices without alerting the guards. The thieves were believed to have gained access to each office by climbing through small windows above the doors.
Hawks‚ NPA break-ins ‘inside jobs’‚ says Mbalula
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said two laptops were stolen at offices occupied by prosecutors.
"No dockets were stolen. At the moment we don't know what those laptops contained. Our IT [department] is investigating that," said Mfaku.
The NPA is the second institution targeted in as many weeks. The Hawks, an elite unit of the police, were burgled last week and several computers from the finance, supply chain management and human resource management were stolen.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said: "Investigations are ongoing to uncover the internal job that might be involved ."
State Security spokesman Brian Dube said indications that the break-ins were an inside job needed to be addressed before blaming the spooks for failing to protect state offices. "It's clear in all these instances there's likelihood of inside information. It's highly likely that there's involvement of people who work inside those structures."
Newham said: "We should be very worried because it means there's a group of people who find it relatively easy to break into institutions. If institutions established to fight corruption are not secured, a lot of us are not secured," said Newham.
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