rekord@rekordpaper.co.za
h/v Kingsway & Van Riebeeck Straat NIGEL
25April 2017
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Truck hijackings escalating Gauteng police say there's been a significant increase in truck hijackings in the province, which Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba says, in most instances involve foreigners colluding with officers. Crime increased in the province by 0.7 percent from April last year to March this year. The murder rate has also increased by more than 10 percent. Gauteng police say the majority of truck hijackings have taken place on the N3 Highway. After deploying undercover detectives, the hotspot was cleared but then criminals moved to Midrand. Police say foreigners have been caught hijacking trucks transporting goods, which are taken to storerooms in townships. Mothiba says authorities are still working on stopping these criminals. "In truck hijackings there are cellphones that are involved. Within 48 hours, the consignment is in Lagos, Nigeria." He says national police are now also working on dealing with truck hijackings. In recent years we have become aware of an increase in road-related crimes. Not only have we reported on the hijackings, car theft and incidents of smash-and-grab, but have also seen the much more organized crime of truck hijacking. Not only has there been an increase in specif ically truck hijackings, but disturbing evolutions in the modus operandi has been detected. When truck hijackings first appeared as an “issue” in South Africa, as far back as 2000, it was almost always about product. Most hijackings would be limited to Cashin-transit operations, electronics and valuable goods. It would normally involve cash money or products that are easy to sell (think Electronics, Cell Phones, etc) and mostly involved “inside jobs” where staff or employees have been coerced into cooperating with product-specif ic syndicates. As security measures increased, so the complexity operations, methodology and interest evolved. Now, we would detect trends, ranging from type-specif ic vehicles (certain makes of trucks, certain types of trailers, etc) being targeted often. Where the product was sold into a predefined market in South Africa, more and more syndicates are starting to appear with apparent international links and interests. The latest trend we are seeing is that the cigarette industry is being targeted.
Burned after highjacking.