Kidnappings and carjackings on the rise in Pretoria east

Kidnappings, carjackings and property-related crimes are on the rise in the east of Pretoria this year, according to the latest crime statistics.

In the festive season crime stats, the Brooklyn police station ranked number one in motor vehicle and motorcycle thefts. In the latest stats, the precinct recorded a high number of serious crimes.

In the January-March 2022 crime statistics, the station was number three in the province with serious crimes such as murder, sexual offences, hijackings and burglary.

Nationally, the station took the ninth spot with 1 631 serious crime cases reported in the three months. This was an increase compared to the 1 401 cases reported in the same period last year. The Silverton police station had 1 078 cases under the same crime category.

Despite a slight decrease in property-related crimes, the Brooklyn station was number one in the province. The station had 608 cases in the three months. These crimes include burglary at residential premises, burglary at non-residential premises, theft of motor vehicle and motorcycle, and theft out of or from motor vehicles.

Presenting the latest figures last week, Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela said crime in the province was “of the greatest concern and disappointment” for the police and communities.

The Silverton station featured in the top 40 stations with the highest number of carjacking cases as it had 39 reported cases in three months.

Mawela said vehicles such as Uber taxis were hijacked, old cars taken for selling spare parts, luxury cars taken for further use in other crimes such as CIT robberies while trucks and delivery vans were hijacked to steal their valuable cargo.

He said some of the hijackings resulted in kidnappings of drivers and passengers, at times leading to rape and murder.

Pretoria-based Bull Security spokesperson French Jooste said the biggest challenge over the past two months in the east of Pretoria was motor vehicle thefts, especially of Toyota Hilux bakkies.

“There is also a very big spike in vehicle jamming incidents in the shopping mall parking areas around Pretoria east. These criminals will sit in the parking area waiting for you to exit your vehicle; the minute you walk away, they will jam the signal which then prevents your vehicle from locking,” Jooste said.

He encouraged people when exiting their vehicles to ensure that their doors are locked, “if you notice that you are struggling to lock your vehicle inform security immediately”.

“Never leave valuables inside your vehicle as this is an open invitation to criminals,” Jooste said.

Jooste said there was also an increase in tyre spiking attacks whereby criminals place metal spikes on the road to make motorists stop and rob them.

These incidents at times turn deadly. In March, a 56-year-old man was shot dead during a spiking incident on the R104/Old Bronkhorstspruit Road. The robbers took two cellphones and cash before fleeing the scene.

“If possible, never stop and keep on driving till it is safe to stop. Always make sure if you need to stop that it is at a filling station. Get help as soon as possible,” Jooste said.

The hijacking of trucks crime trend has over the past years been popular in the Bronkhorstspruit area. Crime stats showed that truck-jacking remained the same as last year, with three cases reported in Bronkhorstspruit.

Silverton also had three truck-jackings cases, this was an increase from one reported in the same period last year.

The east station also featured on the top 40 trio-crimes stations (residential robberies, car hijacking and business robberies). Silverton had 79 cases.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn station had a slight drop in residential robberies; the station recorded 22 cases, a drop from 25 reported in the same period last year.

The Silverton station had a surge in kidnapping cases, it recorded 17 cases in the three months compared to three cases reported last year in the same period.

Mawela said there was a rise in kidnapping cases throughout the province.

“The causative factors remain the same, they happen during hijackings as during the commission of this crime victims are taken with, deprived of freedom of movement and dropped off at other places later.”

He said other factors that lead to kidnapping were retaliation or revenge related.

From Bull Security safety tips during a robbery:

– Co-operate with the robber. Don’t resist, and don’t do anything that would put your life in danger.

– Avoid surprises. Robbers are generally nervous, so anything quick or surprising movement could put you and others in harm’s way.

– Be observant. Take note of the number of robbers involved as well as their physical characteristics (e.g. height, eye and hair colour, hair length, etc.). Also, take note of what they’re wearing and any weapons used.

– Preserve the evidence. Keep clear of the crime scene and avoid touching anything that the robber(s) may have touched.

– Avoid confrontation at all times.

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