Hijackers now target delivery vehicles
Troubling recent data revealed hijackers have shifted their focus from everyday cars to targeting fleet or business vehicles as their primary targets in South Africa.
The Tracker’s latest Vehicle Crime Index (VCI) for the fourth quarter of 2024 indicate business vehicle hijacking become increasingly targeted by vehicle theft crime syndicates. Tracker’s VCI aggregates information from the company’s over 1.1 million subscriptions.
The security firm’s vehicle crime statistics for July to December 2024 highlight motor vehicle hijackings comprise 56% of all vehicle crime incidents in South Africa, while theft accounts for 44%.
Tracker noted hijacking becomes more pronounced when evaluating business-owned vehicles and specific provinces in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
“The data indicates that across the country, business-owned vehicles are twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen, with just over half of these vehicles hijacked in Gauteng,” the report indicated.
“In the Western Cape, business-owned vehicles are four times more likely to be hijacked than stolen, raising this figure to eight times in the Eastern Cape.
“Business-owned vehicle crime is skewed toward hijacking.”
The report highlighted the national split between hijacking, and theft is relatively equal for personal vehicles.
In Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the two regions that account for most of the total vehicle crime, more personal vehicles are stolen than hijacked, at 52% and 61%, respectively.
In contrast, for a personal vehicle, the figures are twice more likely to be hijacked than stolen in the Western Cape, and four times more likely in the Eastern Cape.
However, Tracker points out that the likelihood of vehicle crime countrywide, being a hijacking rather than a theft is 33% higher for business-owned vehicles than personal vehicles.
“Business-owned vehicles are also 56% more likely to experience vehicle crime compared to personal vehicles,” added the report.
Why hijackers have opted for the new trends in vehicle hijackings?
Looking at why criminals have shifted their focus to business vehicles, the tracking firm mentioned the vehicle’s cargo and the vehicle itself.
This is because business-owned vehicles range from cargo trucks with trailers to courier vehicles delivering items ordered online.
“Crime targeting these vehicles proves highly lucrative, with criminals acquiring the vehicle, the goods being transported and the driver’s personal belongings like a mobile phone,” said Tracker.
“These crimes are often opportunistic and often happen when the vehicle stops along its route or at a truck stop or in the driveway during a delivery.”
Tracker further noted the majority of vehicles are often reported hijacked on Fridays between 16h00 and 21h00. Meanwhile, vehicle thefts are mainly reported on Saturdays, also between 16:00 and 21″00.
Tracker also highlighted that during the last half of 2024, the company recovered 3 479 vehicles, assisted in 127 arrests, and recovered eight firearms often used in these incidents.
“Hijacking, while terrifying to the victim, can be a highly efficient crime for perpetrators, which has led to its rising occurrence,” said Duma Ngcobo, chief operating officer at Tracker.
“As vehicle owners become more aware of early warning tools and free tracking apps, it is becoming increasingly difficult for criminals to steal a vehicle without detection.”
“A hijacking, however, allows criminals immediate access to the vehicle and its contents without overriding tracking technology.”
Ngcobo advises businesses to increase their focus on risk management and consider available tools to make it harder for criminals to find easy targets.
“Businesses, in particular, can implement technology to help mitigate this crime and increase safety,” Ngcobo said.
Tracker includes AI-powered fleet dash-cams with facial recognition, 360-degree cameras, safe zone management, and cargo door sensors. Another valuable technology is a driver assist button for emergencies that can alert fleet managers to take immediate action.
“Businesses can also subscribe their drivers to rapid emergency armed response services for quick action,” concluded Ngcobo.
See Kathorus SAPS reaction to business vehicle hijacking in the townships on Page 3.
