Three north stations in top 30 over truck hijackings
At least three police stations in the north of Pretoria were among the top 30 in the province where truck and car hijackings were most prevalent.
The Akasia police station was ranked number two, out of 30 police stations in the Gauteng province, where truck hijacking incidents were most prevalent, the latest crime statistics showed.
The station recorded a 1 200% increase in the number of truck hijacking incidents which were recorded between April and June 2021.
The jaw-dropping increase translated to a total of 13 incidents during the said period of reporting, compared to only one during the same period last year.
Rietgat police station in Soshanguve was ranked number 20, while Sinoville police station was ranked number 25.
Rietgat police station recorded four truck hijacking incidents, compared to none during the same period in 2020, while Sinoville police station recorded a 50% increase.
The increase translated to three incidents during the 2021 period, compared to only two last year.
Last week, Akasia police spokesperson Constable Lindiwe Mdluli warned truck owners and drivers to be cautious of scammers who rented their vehicles for nefarious reasons..
“People are still hiring trucks under false pretences to steal them,” Mdluli said.
She previously warned against an increase in the number of trucks which were being hijacked in their policing precinct.
At the time, Mdluli said the modus operandi used by the scammers entailed renting trucks out then hijacking them when they delivered.
“These hired trucks are usually from Kempton Park, Benoni and other areas in Johannesburg.”
The M17/Hornsnek Road was reportedly the targeted area.
“However, our crime prevention unit has been on high alert and patrolling the area,” Mdluli said.
Meanwhile, Akasia police station was also ranked number 11, out of the 30 police stations in the province, where carjacking incidents were most prevalent.
The station recorded a 64% increase in carjacking incidents – 41 incidents were recorded during the period of reporting, compared to 25 during the same period in 2020.
Coming a close second was the Soshanguve police station at number 24.
The station recorded a 36% increase in carjacking incidents: a total of 34 incidents compared to 25 during the same period last year.
While the Sinoville police station was not among the top 30 police stations where carjacking incidents were most prevalent, the station recorded a more than 200% increase in the crime category.
ALSO READ: Two people arrested for cable theft in Centurion
The station recorded an increase of 233% in carjacking incidents which translated to 10 counts.
Only three counts of carjackings were recorded during the three month period of reporting.
In May, police minister Bheki Cele issued a stern warning to perpetrators of these crimes after saying that car hijackings in the north f Pretoria, among other crime categories, were a cause for concern.
“There is no way you can commit crime and we don’t find you,” he said.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
