Tracker index reveals when you’re most likely to be hijacked

Tracker’s vehicle crime statistics for the July 2019 to June 2020 indicate hijackings are on the rise and remain prevalent during the lockdown period, even with a significant drop in vehicle crime.

Hijacking can also happen at any time of the day or week, and Tracker has called on the public to remain vigilant at all times.

Recorded from Tracker’s more than 1.1 million installed vehicle base, the statistics reveal that before the lockdown, the number of vehicle crime activities rose nationally by 11% year-on-year, driven mainly by hijacking with an increase of 21%.

Theft of vehicles, meanwhile, remained at a similar level to the previous year.

The lockdown period brought an extraordinary set of circumstances and vehicle crime numbers last seen decades ago, particularly during level 5 restrictions.

In April, the number of vehicle crime activities nationally declined to only 19% of the average monthly vehicle crime activities.

As the country’s restrictions were lifted vehicle crime activities increased, with May experiencing a three-fold increase to 62% of the average vehicle crime activities, while June was close to usual levels at 93%.

However, even with this drastic decrease in vehicle crime, hijacking was more prevalent than theft during the lockdown.

Hijacking attributed a higher percentage of the Tracker vehicle crime activities during the lockdown when compared to theft, averaging a 56/44 split.

This is an increase on the 50/50 split between hijacking and theft for the months before the lockdown.

It is a further increase on the previous year, which saw a 45/55 split in favour of theft.

In addition, despite the level 3 lockdown, June 2020 hijacking numbers reached the same level as June 2019.

The latest data also indicates a shift in the trend regarding day of week and time of day when hijackings are reported.

Hijacking is now prevalent throughout the week, from Tuesday to Saturday, with only slightly less activity on Sundays and Mondays.

Hijackings are also reported to Tracker throughout the day from 11am to midnight.

Theft is mainly reported around the weekend and during lunchtime hours.

Hostage taking is still a daily occurrence and remains a big concern.

Further crime trends noted by Tracker include a noticeable increase in vehicles being targeted for their loads, particularly food items and fast-moving consumables.

Clients are also being robbed of their valuables and, in some cases, large amounts of cash.

The provinces and towns most affected by vehicle crime remain similar to past hotspots.

Gauteng still experiences the most vehicle crime, with hijackings prevalent in Johannesburg.

This is followed by KwaZulu-Natal with Durban in the top spot, and the Western Cape, with hijackings mainly occurring in Mitchells Plain.

Further hijacking hotspots include Emalahleni in Mpumalanga, Ibhayi in the Eastern Cape, Rustenburg in the North West, Burgersfort in Limpopo, Bloemfontein in the Free State and Dikhing in the Northern Cape.

Tracker’s efforts to combat vehicle crime resulted in 5,447 vehicle recoveries, 819 arrests and 39 firearms recovered for the 12 months from July 2019 to June 2020.

“With the latest statistics indicating that hijacking can happen on any day of the week and at any time, it is clear criminals are taking advantage of opportunistic situations, and it is therefore imperative to always remain vigilant,” Tracker SA operational services executive Ron Knott-Craig said.

“Make sure your vehicle tracking device is in working order and make use of the features offered by your vehicle tracking service.” — TimesLIVE