Remote jamming fuels vehicle theft pandemic
Complexes are at risk with the recent increase in vehicle theft without forced entry.
Northside — A concerning trend has emerged in the Northside areas of vehicle theft in complexes where criminals are becoming more advanced with remote jamming devices to gain unauthorised access to vehicles, allowing them to steal cars without any signs of forced entry.
A crime report shared by Warrant Officer Molly Ramokhosi at the Sector 3 Community Policing Forum (CPF) on April 9 stated that a security officer was shot dead at a complex after criminals attempted to reprogram the gate motor to gain access.
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According to EC Security officer Rudi Holtzhausen, the number of complexes affected by vehicle theft without forced entry is five, being prominent in Weltevreden Park and Radiokop.
“In the beginning of April, four suspects entered in a white Haval vehicle at a complex in Radiokop in the evening, and one of the suspects was seen on the CCTV footage pushing his arm through the palisade gate and breaking a piece of the gate motor cover to gain access to the mechanical and electrical parts of the gate.
“The scary part about this is that the very same suspect programmed a remote for themselves, which could open and close the gate.
“It is clear that these criminals were trained to jam gate motors because they were seen previously coming to the very same complex to test the remote on the gate, and as soon as it worked, they came back to steal vehicles without forced entry,” said Holtzhausen.
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While it’s impossible to eliminate the risk of vehicle theft, EC Security shares some preventive measures that car owners can take to protect their vehicles:
• Always keep your car locked, even when parked in a secure location
• Consider using a steering wheel lock or other anti-theft devices
• Keep your car keys in a safe place, away from windows and doors
• Consider investing in a car alarm system or immobiliser
• Be aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity to the authorities
