Hijacking on the rise: nearly 60% of car theft is by hijackers, says Tracker

For the past three years, hijacking has been on the rise and has overtaken theft as the predominant vehicle crime, says Tracker.

Based on cases in the tracking company’s more than 1.1-million installed vehicle base, hijackings grew to 57.5% in the second half of last year, a reversal of when theft accounted for 57.2% of vehicle crime activities in the same period during 2018.

The slant towards hijacking is most likely an opportunistic tactic, with a noticeable increase in vehicles being targeted for their contents, particularly fast-moving consumer goods. Drivers carrying large amounts of cash are also being targeted, said the company.

A higher proportion of vehicles are reported hijacked on Thursdays, followed by Tuesdays, with a higher incidence of hijacking between 4pm and 8pm. However, the percentage difference to other days of the week and time of day is marginal. This means that hijacking can happen on any day and at any time.

Gauteng still experiences the most vehicle crime, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. However, the Western Cape has the highest incidence of hijacking compared to theft with a 78%/22% split. This is followed by Gauteng with a 55/45 split and KwaZulu-Natal with a 53/47 split in favour of hijacking.

Tracker says it achieved 3,144 vehicle recoveries, 337 arrests and 22 firearms recovered in the second half of last year.

“As our daily lives are getting back to normal, it seems that crime is not,” says Duma Ngcobo, COO at Tracker.

“These days, it is more difficult to steal a vehicle that is locked, armed and in a secure location, versus one that is out on the road and already operating. We require a collaborative effort between private security and law-enforcement agencies to tackle vehicle crime and thus break the backbone of all crime to create a safer SA.”

Last Friday, police minister Bheki Cele said theft of vehicles and motorcycles declined by more than 20% in the last quarter of 2021.

AVOID BECOMING A VICTIM

Advanced driving school MasterDrive offers the following tips to prevent becoming a victim of carjacking:

— Keep an eye on the car behind you if it has followed you for a while, particularly if you are coming home from shopping or places such as the airport. If you have any doubt, do not turn into your driveway but rather drive to a place of safety such as a petrol station and get help there.

— Most armed-response companies offer services whereby they escort you into your home, especially at night. Make use of these whenever necessary.

— Do not drive straight into your driveway but rather wait for the gates to open while parallel to your driveway.

— At intersections do not be distracted (looking at your phone) and be aware of the people there that could pose a threat to you.

— At shopping malls reverse park into a space, preferably against a wall to prevent someone catching you unawares from behind, and to allow you to exit the parking quickly.

— If you feel uncomfortable with the presence of someone,  ask a security guard to walk you to your car.

— Ultimately, rather be safe than sorry: do an extra circle around the block or ask someone for rather than regret not doing so.