Police told parliament yesterday that using foreigners as security guards at shopping malls was one of the contributing factors to the spike in mall robberies.
Major-General Michael Motlala, acting head of visible policing, told the portfolio committee on police that the SAPS had asked the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority to deal with security companies that hired undocumented foreigners.
"Our analysis shows that there are foreign nationals that are employed as security guards and they are not even on the database of PSIRA in some instances," he said.
The police also said they would increase visibility at 1900 shopping centres in the festive season to curb robberies.
Frustrated MPs from opposition parties and the governing ANC criticised the police's plan as "not practical enough" and a "knee-jerk" reaction.
"With the deployment of the festive season, we're doing what we call high-density policing. We'll deploy police outside [the malls] and inside," said Lieutenant-General Khehla Sithole, SAPS head of police operations.
Sithole declined to provide more information on the ground of security.
"I will not because it will be a risk to policing, the criminals will also hear about our plans."
In the last three months, there has been an increase in the number of armed robberies at shopping malls, especially in the Western Cape and Gauteng, where cellphone and jewellery retailers have come under attack.
Dr Graham Wright, head of crime risk initiative at the Consumer Goods Council, said it was satisfied that the police were taking steps to clamp down on mall robberies.
"We've got a commitment from the police to up their game in our respective areas to improve our co-operation, but the most important thing is to assure the public and shoppers out there that there are really tremendous plans that have taken effect," he said.
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