PROJECT: THE CRIMINAL BUSINESS BEHIND MATRIC PARTIES AND VACATIONS
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WHEN CELEBRATION CREATES OPPORTUNITY FOR CRIMINALS
The matric examination period and the celebrations that follow create predictable concentrations of young people at beaches, entertainment venues, private functions, accommodation establishments and organised parties.
Most matriculants attend these events to celebrate the completion of an important stage of their education.
However, large gatherings of young people can also create commercial opportunities for criminals who identify the crowd
as a source of money, personal information and vulnerable victims.
The criminal threat therefore does not necessarily originate with the teenagers attending the event. In many cases,
criminals exploit an existing social gathering and the vulnerabilities it creates.
This is an important distinction when assessing the security risks surrounding
so-called “Pens Down” celebrations and matric holidays.
CRIMINALS FOLLOW OPPORTUNITY:
Crime frequently occurs where three factors intersect: opportunity, vulnerability and access. A large matric gathering can provide all three.
There may be hundreds or thousands of young people in one location, many carrying mobile phones, bank cards and cash. Some may be consuming alcohol or other substances. Others may be unfamiliar with the area. Some may have travelled without adequate adult supervision or may become separated from their friends.
For a criminal, this can create an environment in which victims are easier to identify and offences can be committed within a crowded environment.
The same principle applies online. Once a party is advertised publicly, criminals can monitor social-media posts, event pages, photographs and location tags to establish where young people will gather, when they will arrive and what they are carrying or driving.
The event itself may be legitimate. The criminal opportunity develops around it.
ALCOHOL SALES TO MINORS:
One of the most significant concerns is the supply of alcohol to underage persons. Adults or businesses that knowingly facilitate unlawful alcohol sales to minors can contribute to an environment in which intoxication, assault, reckless driving and other offences become more likely.
The recent Clifton and Camps Bay incident demonstrated the scale that such gatherings can reach, with thousands of young people attending and approximately 1,000 units of alcohol confiscated by authorities.
The security concern extends beyond the individual who consumes the alcohol.
A person who becomes severely intoxicated can become:
an easier target for robbery;
vulnerable to sexual exploitation;
incapable of making safe decisions;
separated from friends;
unable to arrange safe transport; or
incapable of recognising an immediate threat.
The person supplying the alcohol may therefore be creating a chain of risk that extends well beyond the transaction itself.
DRUG SUPPLY AND YOUTH EXPLOITATION:
The matric holiday period can also create opportunities for drug dealers and intermediaries attempting to recruit new customers. Young people may be approached directly at parties, through friends or through social-media platforms. The initial interaction may appear harmless. A person may offer a substance, introduce someone to a supplier or offer to arrange drugs for a group.
The risk increases where organised criminal networks identify large youth gatherings as convenient locations for distribution. Drug-related criminality should therefore not be viewed only as a question of possession or consumption. The wider investigation should consider who supplied the substance, how it reached the event, who profited and whether vulnerable young people were deliberately targeted.
THE FAKE PARTY:
Not every advertised matric event exists.
Fraudsters can create attractive social-media advertisements for parties that appear legitimate and then collect money for:
entrance tickets;
VIP access;
transport;
accommodation;
food packages;
entertainment;
security deposits; or
group bookings.
Once sufficient money has been collected, the organiser may disappear, cancel the event or provide conditions substantially different from what was advertised. The victims may be reluctant to report the matter because they are embarrassed that they trusted an online advertisement.
That hesitation benefits the fraudster.
Before paying for a matric event, young people and parents should establish who is organising it, where it is being held, whether the venue has confirmed the booking, how payment is made and whether the advertised contact details can be independently verified. A social-media page is not proof that an event is legitimate.
ACCOMMODATION SCAMS:
Matric holidays can also create a temporary demand for accommodation.
Fraudsters can advertise:
holiday houses;
apartments;
guesthouses;
campsites;
beach accommodation;
group accommodation; or
supposedly exclusive holiday properties.
A criminal may copy photographs and descriptions from legitimate accommodation listings and advertise them at attractive prices. The victim pays a deposit and later discovers that the property does not exist, is not available or belongs to someone else. The risk becomes greater when groups of teenagers make bookings without involving a parent or responsible adult.
A basic security principle applies: Never assume that an attractive online listing is genuine simply because it contains photographs, reviews or a professional-looking social-media profile.
TRANSPORT AS A CRIMINAL OPPORTUNITY:
Transport is another area in which vulnerable young people can be exploited. After a party, some teenagers may be intoxicated, separated from their friends or unable to contact their original transport arrangements. This can create opportunities for unscrupulous individuals offering lifts.
The risk includes:
excessive charges;
theft;
robbery;
assault;
sexual exploitation;
abduction; and
vehicles being used to facilitate other crimes.
A teenager who is intoxicated should never be left to negotiate transport with an unknown person simply because that person offers the quickest way home. Parents and groups should establish transport arrangements before attending an event and have a contingency plan if those arrangements fail.
CRIMINALS CAN USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS RECONNAISSANCE:
One of the most underestimated risks is the information that young people voluntarily publish.
A single post can reveal:
WHERE they are.
WHEN they arrived.
WHO they are with.
WHAT vehicle they are driving.
WHERE they are staying.
WHAT valuables they have.
WHEN they intend leaving.
Repeated posts can create an almost complete timeline of a person's movements. For criminals, this information can function as a form of reconnaissance. A public post announcing that a large group of matriculants will be at a particular beach or venue can also identify a concentration of potential victims. Young people should therefore avoid publishing real-time locations unnecessarily, particularly when the post also reveals accommodation, vehicles, valuables or the absence of adults.
THE ORGANISER ALSO HAS A SECURITY RESPONSIBILITY:
The commercialisation of matric parties creates another important question: Who is responsible for the security of the event?
Anyone organising a large gathering should consider:
capacity;
access control;
emergency exits;
security personnel;
medical assistance;
fire safety;
alcohol control;
prohibited items;
transport arrangements;
emergency communication;
age restrictions; and
procedures for dealing with violence.
An organiser who concentrates hundreds of young people at a venue without adequate security creates conditions in which disorder can escalate rapidly. Security cannot be treated as an afterthought once tickets have already been sold.
THE CRIMINAL ECONOMY AROUND THE EVENT:
The most important lesson is that the criminal threat can exist at several levels simultaneously.
One person may sell alcohol illegally.
Another may supply drugs.
Another may sell fraudulent tickets.
Another may advertise non-existent accommodation.
Another may target intoxicated teenagers for robbery or sexual exploitation.
Another may monitor social media to identify vulnerable victims.
These offenders do not necessarily know one another.
They do not need to.
The event itself creates the concentration of people and information from which separate criminal opportunities can develop. This is why security planning must consider the entire environment surrounding an event, rather than focusing exclusively on what happens inside the venue.
RED FLAGS FOR MATRICULANTS AND PARENTS:
Several warning signs should immediately raise concern:
unusually cheap tickets;
pressure to pay immediately;
payment into a personal account without a clear business explanation;
cryptocurrency or unconventional payment demands;
organisers refusing to provide a physical venue address;
accommodation advertised substantially below market value;
copied or inconsistent photographs;
newly created social-media accounts;
changing venue details;
vague information about security;
no emergency contact;
transport arrangements that cannot be independently verified;
requests for identity documents before legitimacy has been established; and
organisers discouraging parents from asking questions.
Pressure is a particularly important warning sign.
A legitimate organiser should be able to explain the event, venue, payment arrangements and safety measures without creating unnecessary urgency.
The matric holiday period is predictable. Criminal opportunity is therefore also predictable.
When thousands of young people gather in one place, money changes hands, alcohol and other substances may be present, transport becomes complicated and large amounts of personal information are shared online.
Those conditions can be exploited by fraudsters, drug suppliers, thieves, sexual predators and other criminals.
The central security lesson is simple:
Criminals do not always create the opportunity.
Sometimes they simply identify an opportunity that already exists and exploit it.
Parents and matriculants should therefore approach Pens Down celebrations and matric holidays with the same basic principle that applies to all crime prevention: know the environment, verify the people involved, protect personal information
and recognise risk before becoming a victim.
Specialised Security Services (SSS), under the direction of Mr. Mike Bolhuis,
and its specialist investigators
can assist individuals, families and organisations requiring professional investigation,
evidence assessment and security guidance
where serious fraud, exploitation or other criminal conduct is suspected.
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