You are most likely to be hijacked over weekends in Gauteng: Tracker

Motorists are at greater risk of being hijacked on Fridays and Saturdays in Gauteng, Tracker said in its crime statistics report on Monday.

The data had been collected from July 2018 to June 2019.

The statistics show that motorists are more likely to be hijacked on Fridays between 11am and 1pm, and 8pm and 11pm.

The report stated that on Saturdays, hijackings are most likely to occur between 12pm and 2pm.

These statistics were unchanged from the previous year’s records.

The majority of Tracker activations are in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

In Gauteng, suburbs most affected by hijackings include Kensington, Arcadia and Eldorado Park.

In the Pretoria CBD, Arcadia and Sunnyside have reported the most activations for theft.

In KZN, hijackings mainly occurred in Sydenham, Imbali and Avoca Hills, while theft is mostly reported in Glenwood, Morningside and Musgrave.

In the Western Cape, areas include Philippi, Khayelitsha and Maitland for hijacking, and Philippi, Claremont and Dunoon for theft.

Tracker records indicates that the techniques used by criminals are unchanged from the previous year.

However, there has been an increase in hostage taking during hijackings, with an average of 29% of Tracker’s activations resulting in a hostage situation.

According to the report, criminals also impersonate law enforcement officers to commit hijackings.

Other techniques include the spiking of drinks to take advantage of victims, and vehicle theft using online selling platforms, where sellers hand over goods on receipt of a fake payment.

Business vehicles are hijacked for the fast-moving consumables they carry, the report said.

Tracker has recovered 5,438 vehicles over the time period, made 1,037 arrests and recovered 50 firearms.

“Many people go about their regular driving activity on auto-pilot without much awareness or consideration for what is going on around them.

“Criminals recognise and take advantage of this complacency,” the company's Ron Knott-Craig said.

Knott-Craig urged motorists to stay alert and vigilant.

“Avoid distractions while driving and pay attention to your surroundings. Don’t believe it could never happen to you.”