Thieves park stolen bakkie at Benoni SAPS
Criminals left the stolen vehicle parked inside the police station’s yard for two weeks.
A stolen Toyota Hilux bakkie was found parked inside the Benoni Police Station’s yard on April 26.
According to Captain Nomsa Sekele, spokesperson for the police station, suspicions were raised about the presence of the vehicle, parked among members’ private vehicles, after it had not moved from the spot for two weeks.
“Inspections of the police station are conducted at every shift change,” Sekele explained.
“Shift commanders became suspicious of the vehicle when it did not move for days on end, prompting them to start looking within our offices for its owner.
“Nobody working at the police station claimed the vehicle, which led to further investigations.”
According to Frederick Koen, of NoJack Vehicle Tracking, Northmead, he was at the police station to book a GWM bakkie with cloned registration and VIN numbers as evidence, when he was asked to assist in inspecting the Hilux.
“Upon inspection, it was immediately found that the number plates did not meet the SABS standard,” said Koen.
“A fake set of plates was placed over the original plates, which matched the description of a bakkie reported as stolen in Randburg.”
It is suspected that the criminals parked the vehicle inside the police station’s property to ascertain whether it is being tracked.
“This incident has once again proven how brazen criminals can be, using law enforcement property to store their loot,” said Sekele.
“Investigations into the case are currently underway and necessary steps will be taken to guard against this happening in future.”
Sekele further stated that ongoing working relationships between private security companies and the police are vital in the fight against crime.
Koen said that cloning of vehicle registration numbers as well as VIN numbers is an ongoing battle for companies specialising in the tracking and recovery of vehicles.
“We are currently investigating cases where a large number of GWM Steed 5 double cabs and Toyota Etios’s are on the streets bearing cloned vehicle identification information,” he said.
“If you suspect that your vehicle’s information may have been tampered with, do not hesitate to contact us for more information or assistance.”
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