Fuel tankers have become the latest easy target for criminal syndicates, according to a report by vehicle recovery company Netstar.
The fleet-intelligence company noted that vehicle theft and hijacking of fuel tankers among its customer base have spiked to 24% in the last six months.
In a recent case, a fuel tanker was hijacked by a criminal gang after midnight but a Netstar crew managed to recover the vehicle and the driver, who was found unharmed, said Netstar operations executive Charles Morgan.
He said although the company has a high recovery rate, there is a significant increase in incidents of theft and hijacking, noting that fleets and cargo remain at high risk.
Morgan said data indicate that hijackings are more common in the evening, between 7pm and 8pm, adding that other trends identified include a spike in vehicle thefts in the morning followed by a surge in hijackings during the afternoon and evening.
“During May and June, daily vehicle hijackings reached a peak in the period between 7pm and 8pm. Our data indicate that hijackings are more common in the evening hours,” said Morgan.
“Hijackings are the most common way for vehicles to be stolen, among our customer base. This implies that criminals may find it easier to steal a vehicle through a contact crime like hijacking, than through theft of an unattended vehicle.
“This may be because there is no need to circumvent the alarm and immobiliser technology when the driver is at the wheel.”
The company’s breakdown of theft and hijacking incidents by province indicates that Gauteng is the hotspot.
“In June this year, 51.2% of vehicle thefts happened in Gauteng. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the second-most incidents with 23% while the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape both registered around 6% of incidents.”
Also read: Thugs steal fuel worth millions of rands in Limpopo
For more business news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
