Tracker South Africa recently issued a report that revealed when and where the most vehicle crimes occur in South Africa. The statistics, from Tracker’s 1.1 million installed vehicle base, cover vehicle theft and hijacking, and provide insight into the time of day and day of the week when vehicle crime is most likely to occur in South Africa. The index also records the suburbs most affected in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape, the provinces that encounter the most vehicle crime, and the techniques that criminals employ.
According to the data, the most activations for hijackings take place on a Friday between 11:00 and 13:00, followed by 20:00 to 23:00, while vehicle theft occurs mainly on a Saturday between 12:00 and 14:00. “Activated” means that Tracker initiated recovery action.
The majority of activations as a percentage of Tracker’s installed base are in Gauteng, followed by Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape. The suburbs in Gauteng most affected by hijacking are Kensington, Arcadia and Eldorado Park, while the Pretoria CBD, Arcadia and Sunnyside have the most activations for theft. In Kwa-Zulu Natal, hijackings mainly occur in Sydenham, Imbali and Avoca Hills, while theft is mostly reported in Glenwood, Morningside and Musgrave. In the Western Cape, it is Philippi, Khayelitsha and Maitland for hijacking, and Philippi, Claremont and Dunoon for theft.
An alarming statistic is that there was an increase in hostage taking during hijackings, with an average of 29% of Tracker activations reflecting such activities. Other techniques include criminals impersonating law enforcements officials in order to commit hijackings, a method otherwise known as blue light robberies; the spiking of drinks in order to take advantage of unsuspecting victims; and vehicle theft using online selling platforms, where sellers hand over goods on receipt of a fake payment.
The main message for you and your client is, be very aware of what is going on around you – stay alert and be vigilant.
Click here to download an infographic of the Tracker report’s statistics.
