Hijackings most prevalent on these days of the week: Tracker

Gauteng motorists are experiencing an increase in vehicle thefts and hijackings and are warned that keyless access theft is a new modus operandi by criminals.

The Tracker Vehicle Crime Index for the first six months of the year shows Gauteng accounts for 61% of incidents on its database, up from 58% in the latter half of 2021. KwaZulu-Natal is second with 17% of total incidents and the Western Cape third with 8%.

While vehicle crime incidents occur every day throughout the day and night, an escalation in reported hijackings is noted from midweek to Friday, mostly between 4pm and 8pm.

Reported thefts are mostly between 11am and 3pm and thefts escalate on Saturdays.

Tracker COO Duma Ngcobo said vehicle theft is up 7% nationally and hijackings up 4% over the previous review period.

“Gauteng incidents have increased 10% from the last review period, with theft comprising 48% of incidents and hijackings 52%. We believe the increase in incidents can in part be attributed to a return to normal as people make their way back to their places of work and social activities ramp up after Covid-19 protocol relaxations,” he said.

Increased vehicle use in 2022 appears to give criminals greater opportunities for keyless access theft, for example.

“Keyless access theft involves a pair or team of criminals, one of whom could discreetly follow a vehicle owner as they walk away from a locked vehicle, all the while amplifying the constantly transmitted signal received from the vehicle’s key fob to a criminal counterpart, who may then gain access to the vehicle and drive away with it.”

Ngcobo advised motorists to be awareness of their surroundings while travelling and to use an app or digital platform to share journeys with a family member or friend who can raise the alarm should you not arrive as planned.

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