According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre's Sabric's Annual Crime Statistics 2024 report, robberies dropped 35 year on year in 2024, with associated losses by the banking sector declining by 64 compared to 2023.
"The notable decline in related robbery incidents is largely due to a collaborative project between the banking industry and the South African Police Service, aimed at sharing information on identified suspects and alerting authorities when these individuals entered bank branches, enabling the identification of potential cash-withdrawal victims," the report said.
Despite the drop in contact crimes, the banking sector sees their occurrence as a risk, especially since customers who are robbed tend to lose trust in the system.