South Africa Stolen and Hijacked Vehicles

It is no secret that crime is a major problem in South Africa and besides the ghastly farm attacks, murders, and house robberies, vehicle theft is a major concern. An indication of how serious the situation has become is based on the number of vehicles either stolen or hijacked during the month of April 2016. Between the Alberton, Johannesburg and Pretoria, a total of 101 vehicles, have been reported to have either being stolen or hijacked during the month of April only.

Thieves have a particular penchant for different colors of motor vehicles, and White, Silver and Blue are the preferred choice. The Toyota brand is the most favored and a total of 33 out of the 101 vehicles were stolen during this period. Volkswagen and Ford are another popular brand for car thieves. The Nissan make is fast becoming a favorite and Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Isuzu is on the list of most wanted vehicles. Other makes such as Hino, BMW, Opel, Jeep, and Renault are not excluded but are stolen by thieves.

South Africans depend on private vehicles as the public transport system is a complete failure. Having a vehicle stolen or hijacked is a traumatic experience and owners are forced to take additional precaution. Most vehicles are now being fitted with a tracking device and other gadgets such as gear locks and alarms, to prevent theft. However, thieves are not deterred by the gadgets and find a way to steal the vehicle.

Crime is a serious concern in South Africa, and if 101 vehicles were stolen in only three cities, one could imagine how many are stolen throughout the country each month. There is never a specific method used by thieves and new and startling ways of hijacking vehicles always pop up unexpectedly. Thieves will find a way to steal no matter what precaution an innocent person will take, it is as though the criminal mind is programmed to outsmart technology.

A few tips from vehicle recovery firms are:
1)most criminals roam between vehicles to see if there is any valuables in the vehicle such as laptops/cellphones/money.
2)methods used by criminals to do a fast hijacking is to take your number plate off your vehicle, and as you drive a vehicle came next to yours and thereby flash your number plate to you. As soon as you stop to get your number plate they hijack you.
3)always stay calm, do as they ask, never fight them as they get very irritated and angry and will kill you  for your vehicle
4)if you see a hijacking try and get the following information
-direction taken when vehicle was stolen
-how many suspects
-description of suspects
-are they armed
4) remember to call the police immediately and provide all information for fast response
5) if a hijacking takes place do not approach! Keep your distance, if the owner of the vehicle is thrown out of the vehicle remain at a distance and notify the police immediately, for the purpose of alerting a response officer and a ambulance for backup straight away.

PUBLISHED TODAY ON SOUTH AFRICA TODAY - HERE IS THE LINK
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