Toyotas targeted in recent thefts
Criminals target one brand in thefts and hijackings across the province.
No fewer than 14 vehicles, mainly Toyotas, were stolen in Gauteng the past weekend.
Hannes du Buisson, head of the Wierdabrug Sector 3 Community Policing Forum, said there had been an increase in the number of Toyotas stolen.
“Toyota Fortuners and Toyota Hiluxes are being targeted by criminals. Criminals use signal jammers to block the tracking devices in the cars. As technology improves, so do the people who steal it. It is easy to steal one of these cars in under three minutes.”
Du Buisson said the easiest way to steal a car was to simply replace the ignition.
“Car thieves drive around with lots of replacement ignitions and computer boxes for these cars. A while back, apprehended a man driving around with lots of spare ignitions to different cars.”
Hijackings tend to increase sharply in the run-up to the festive season.
Du Buisson said cars were often stolen outside schools.
“People often park outside schools when they attend school events, and leave their cars unsupervised. Before attending any event like this, people should insist that the school provide security guards accredited to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority,” said Du Buisson.
“Some reports suggest that the Toyotas are being stripped for parts and used on taxis, though this is unconfirmed. Most of the time the cars that are stolen end up in Mozambique or Zimbabwe, because it is so easy to cross the borders between the two countries.”
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