The police are making strides in curbing cash-in-transit heists‚ police minister Bheki Cele said on Tuesday.

He said between April 1 and November 4 this year‚ 118 cash-in-transit heists had been recorded across the country. In the same period last year‚ 184 cases were reported - indicating a decrease in the number of heists this year.

The police were not only managing to lower the number of heists carried out‚ but were also making significant progress in arresting those involved. They have arrested a total of 237 people in connection with the heists.

Officers have also seized 92 vehicles used in these robberies and recovered 78 firearms‚ along with 1 402 rounds of ammunition.

While Cele would not disclose how much money had been recovered‚ he said it was a "substantial amount".

"We can attribute a great deal of these successes to the mobilisation of the 72-hour activation plan‚" he said.

"This plan entails the maximum mobilisation of resources - including crime intelligence‚ forensic experts‚ the Hawks‚ seasoned detectives and tactical teams - for a 72-hour period to ensure that critical information‚ intelligence and evidence that ensures a breakthrough in investigations is not lost."

Cele commended the police for being proactive and ensuring that many heists were prevented before they could be carried out. However‚ he warned that the country was "not out of the woods" yet.

- TimesLIVE