By John Njiraini

A leading security company has announced new measures to prevent theft of cash in transit.

G4S was hit by a series of daring robberies late last year, in which cash it was contracted to deliver was stolen while on transit.

Among the new measures it has introduced is a stronger vetting process for both police officers and escorting cash vehicles, and its employees involved with cash-in transit.

G4S will now carry out lie detection tests using polygraph machines, and increase supervision and security checks.

It also plans to install its vehicles with satellite real time monitoring and controls devices, establish a new operating protocol with the police, and enhance staff training and compliance programmes.

G4S also plans to introduce new cash centres, in collaboration with commercial banks, to reduce the distance cash has to travel across the country.

"Cash in transit is inherently a high-risk business, and we are committed to continuously change our risk profile," said G4S Regional Managing Director for East Africa, Adam Miller.

Mr Miller was appointed late last year, and is in charge of six countries.

The revelations were made at a press conference called by the firm in Nairobi yesterday.

"We cannot guarantee there will be no attacks in the future, but we try to be one step ahead of what criminals are doing," said Miller.

Three heists

The company, which last year lost a total of Sh125 million in three separate cash-in-transit heists, said it would introduce new security measures to reduce the risks for customers. The robberies are suspected to have involved collusion by the security firm’s employees and escort police Officers, and inlcuded theft of Sh34.5 million and Sh23 million in Nairobi’s Yaya Centre and Westlands respectively and Sh70 million destined for the United Kingdom.

Miller noted that although G4S takes every robbery seriously, the frequency of such thefts in Kenya lags far behind the United Kingdom, for instance, where over 1,000 cash-in-transit attacks occur annually. In South Africa, there are over 500 such attacks every year.

Miller reckoned that Kenya is an important market for G4S. the company has morphed from just a security solutions provider and now also operates customer service courier businesses.

However, it has the largest share of the cash-in-transit business in Kenya. By last year, the company’s turnover in Kenya stood at Sh5.3 billion.

The firm will push for Government contracts to offer security services to hospitals, military bases and transport passports, identity cards and medicines.

"We want to push for Government outsourcing business to reduce their (Government’s) risks and cost," said Miller.