Johannesburg - Motorists, already dealing with faulty traffic lights and dodging potholes, face yet another challenge on the country’s roads.
Gauteng is once again South Africa’s vehicle crime hotspot with national incidents back up to pre-Covid levels. According to Tracker’s latest Vehicle Crime Index, covering the period from January to June 2022, the increase can partly be attributed to more cars on the road as well as the ingenuity of criminals and crime syndicates.
The index shows that key less access theft seems to be the preferred method. This involves a pair or team of criminals, one of whom would discreetly follow a vehicle owner as they walk away from a locked car, all the while amplifying the constantly transmitted signal received from the vehicle’s key to a criminal counterpart, who may then gain access to the vehicle and drive away with it.
The Tracker Vehicle Crime Index aggregates information from its more than 1.1 million installed vehicle base. The latest index illustrates that crime continues to intensify in Gauteng, which accounts for 61% of national Tracker incidents, up from 58% recorded for the latter half of 2021, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 17% and the Western Cape at 8%.
Chief operations officer at Tracker, Duma Ngcobo, said vehicle theft is up 7% nationally and hijackings up 4% over the previous review period.
“Gauteng incident volumes increased 10% from the last review period, with theft comprising 48% of incidents and hijackings 52%. We believe the increase can be attributed to a return to ‘normal’ as people make their way back to their places of work and social activities, following Covid-19 protocol relaxations,” he said.
Private investigator Mike Bolhuis said he’s not surprised by the latest figures.
“What is disturbing is that all and everywhere we have seen an increase in these vehicle thefts. Criminals have become far more tech savvy. They are now using anti-locking or interference devices which are, unfortunately, readily available to criminals. When you walk into a shop, for example, they just get near to you and then they get all the information through these devices from your car keys or they influence the signal where, with another device, they open your car,” he cautioned.
Bolhuis said theft of vehicles increased, especially on Toyota bakkies, cruisers and SUVs.
“It seems like the syndicates have developed more than enough sufficient equipment to override all the electronics to leave with that vehicle. They also have devices that will allow you to drive away with the car without having to steal the keys.”
But Bolhuis disagreed with statistics showing that Gauteng is the No 1 vehicle crime spot.
“Gauteng just keeps better statistics and I think Gauteng is just a bigger and more known hub. The crime levels and statistics in areas like Cape Town are just as high, as well as in Durban.”
Werner Koekemoer, a senior specialist investigator, said he too wasn’t surprised by the increase in vehicle theft and hijackings.
“We were expecting that. You must always remember that when there is an increase in any vehicle theft or hijacking, somewhere along the line there is a big order. So obviously our neighbour countries like Mozambique have big orders out right now, especially Land Cruiser bakkies and strong Land Cruiser vehicles because you must remember while Toyota was closed because of the floods, there was an escalation in quantities of vehicles that were needed but there were no vehicles available.
“These people in Mozambique need strong vehicles, especially the Land Cruiser bakkies to survive that side with (Islamist militants) ISIS there. There are huge orders on Land Cruiser bakkies, especially in Mozambique and 90% of these vehicles won’t remain in South Africa, they go across the border,” said Koekemoer.
Total incident volumes in the aftermath of Covid increased to the same level recorded before the protracted lockdown period and subsequent social adjustments. An increase in vehicle usage during 2022 appears to be presenting criminals with greater access and opportunity to use tactics such as key less access theft to relieve owners of their assets.
While vehicle crime volume has notably escalated in Gauteng, the overall vehicle crime volume for all other provinces combined remains largely unchanged from the previous review period. KZN’s 58% hijacking to 42% theft ratio reflects a recent increase in hijacking propensity and Western Cape figures still show that hijackings dominate incidents in the province with a 76% hijacking to 24% theft ratio.
“We have however noted an indication that the upward trajectory in hijackings we have tracked through the Covid months may have turned a corner, with the first decrease in the ratio of national hijackings v thefts recorded since the start of Covid,” Ncgobo added.
While vehicle crime incidents occur throughout the day and night, and every day of the week, an escalation in reported hijackings is noted between midweek and Friday, with late afternoon until early evening showing the highest incidence, between the hours of 4pm and 8pm. Reported thefts are most prevalent between 11am and 3pm, and theft volumes escalate on Saturdays. For the January to June 2022 period, Tracker’s efforts resulted in 3 110 vehicle recoveries, 273 arrests and the recovery of 19 firearms.
“Be aware of your surroundings at all times and the possible scenarios that could play out as you make your way to your destination. Using an app or digital platform to share your journey with a family member or friend can help raise a timely flag should you not arrive as planned. Vehicle tracking devices play a pivotal role in vehicle recovery and with the innovation in technology in this space, they are also essential for driver and passenger safety. We can see that crime continues to rise and although many view cars as depreciating assets that can be replaced, lives cannot, and safety should be the No 1 priority,” concluded Ngcobo.