WHILE it has been a quiet festive season in terms of major crimes in the north Durban area, statistics have shown that theft out of motor vehicle cases continue.

The majority of the cases involve remote jamming, a method used by criminals that prevents your car key fob from locking and the alarm from arming.

The trend of remote jamming isn’t new and the crime has been discussed at various community meetings throughout 2025.

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Durban North SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Nonhlanhla Shozi said criminals are targeting people at public places, including malls and gyms in the area.

What is more, police say the suspects are using a Bluetooth scanning device in order to detect electronic devices left in vehicles.

“According to our Crime Information Management and Analysis Centre (CIMAC) some victims have not left their valuables in plain sight and have either put electronic devices like laptops in their boot or under their seat. However, we’ve noticed victims have not turned their devices completely off, they either put them into sleep mode and don’t switch off their Bluetooth connections.

“Of course this isn’t only limited to laptops, it’s any devices that have Bluetooth connections, which include tablets or cellphones. There has been a mixture of remote jamming cases as well as criminals breaking windows to gain access to the vehicle or suspects damaging the vehicle’s lock to gain access,” she said. 

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Shozi urged residents and visitors to power down their devices especially when visiting the beach, malls, gyms or parking their cars on the street.

“We urge residents not to leave valuable items visible in their cars. Items such as laptops, cameras, and phones are what the suspects most often look for. We also urge them to double-check they have locked their cars by physically checking if the doors are locked after using the key fob,” she said.

At the end of November last year, three suspects were arrested after they had been linked to various theft out of motor vehicle cases.

At the time the suspects were found in possession of a remote jammer, a laptop bag containing a laptop, and various other items they could not account for. 

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