Pretoria CBD most hit by vehicle crimes in Gauteng

The Pretoria CBD, Arcadia and Sunnyside are among the areas most hit by vehicle crimes in Gauteng, a vehicle security company has reported.

The Tracker report is based on its July 2018 to June 2019 statistics, looking at its 1.1 million customer base.

The company said its data showed that most hijackings took place on a Friday from 11:00 to 13:00 and 20:00 to 23:00 while most thefts occurred on Saturday between 12:00 and 14:00.

Tracker said the suburbs most affected by hijackings in Gauteng were Arcadia in Pretoria and Kensington and Eldorado Park in Johannesburg.

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“Tracker records show that the techniques employed by criminals are unchanged from the previous year.”

It said the techniques included criminals impersonating a police officer to commit hijackings; the spiking of drinks to take advantage of unsuspecting victims; and theft by false pretences through online platforms where a fake payment is made.

Tracker said the company, however, also noted an increase in hostage takings during hijackings.

“An average of 29% incidents result in a hostage being taken.”

Pretoria Central police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe said the local police were working hard to fight car-related crimes.

She said the issue in the CBD was that motorists avoided parking in secure areas to save on parking fees.

“They rather opt to park in unsecured areas.”

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She said the central police also had many fake cases of stolen vehicles reported by motorists running insurance scams.

“We end up opening a lot of perjury cases against motorists who claimed to have been hijacked.”

However, she said the police would continue the fight against vehicle crimes in the CBD.

She said a 28-year-old man appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court this week for car theft.

She said the police had already linked the man to five car theft cases and that he worked with car syndicates targeting parked vehicles around Bosman station.

Sunnyside police have also warned motorists to beware as theft out of motor vehicles continued to be the most reported crime in the suburb.

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Police spokesperson captain Daniel Mavimbela said a 34-year-old man was arrested in Stanza Bopape Street in Sunnyside on Wednesday, with a suspected remote control signal jamming device.

He said the man was charged with possession of equipment used for theft out of motor a vehicle.

Mavimbela said police believed the majority of “informal” car guards were responsible for motor vehicle-related thefts.

“A jamming device is among the most preferred tools thieves use to gain access to motor vehicles in Sunnyside and adjacent suburbs,” he said.

He said most of the car break-ins and arrests for vehicle crimes occurred in areas saturated by such car guards.

“A heightened police presence and O Kae Molao, however, were largely responsible for the reduction of theft out of motor vehicles and car break-ins in Sunnyside.”

Mavimbela advised motorists to “physically test that doors were properly locked” when leaving the car.

Tracker spokesperson Ron Knott-Craig said many motorists went about their regular driving activity “on auto-pilot” without much awareness or consideration for what was going on around them.

“Criminals recognise and take advantage of this complacency,” he said.

“To avoid being an easy target, we need to stay alert and vigilant. Avoid distractions while driving and pay attention to your surroundings.”

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