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It’s a scenario many of us dread: you, driving at night on your own, see blue lights behind you and are pulled over for no apparent reason.
You then discover these are not real cops, although they are wearing official uniforms – and a nasty ordeal begins that sometimes results in death.
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Trauma is guaranteed, if you get out of the situation alive.
This is exactly what has been playing out on the N3 in the Heidelberg area, the stretch of highway where Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and her entourage were hijacked and robbed in November.
They weren’t the first, and almost certainly won’t be the last as the past three years has seen an increase in hijackings along this highway.
While the police insist they have deployed daily patrols and the “flying squad, together with highway patrol units”, their shortage of vehicles and understaffed units mean they are always playing catch-up to these hijackers in these crime hotspots.
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Dr Johan Burger, senior researcher and policing expert at the Institute for Security Studies, said: “The inadequacy of police numbers and resources to keep pace with population growth, leads to gaps in law enforcement coverage that criminal elements exploit.”
We urge motorists to take extra caution while driving in this area. If in doubt when you see sirens, put your hazards on and drive slowly to the nearest police station.