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Be alert, don't be hijacked
31/03/2004 14:03 - (SA)
Tisha Steyn
Johannesburg - The only way to prevent being hijacked is to be alert, says Inspector Dennis Adriao, spokesperson for Gauteng police.
With reference to the hijacking, rape and assault of a couple and their cousin on the N1 near Grasmere Toll Plaza early on Wednesday morning, he gave News24 readers a number of tips on how to prevent being hijacked.
Be alert:
Be alert whenever you're driving, and especially at night and in the early morning hours. Be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles that might be following you.
Assess the situation:
"Hijacking is an opportunistic crime," says Adriao. It takes place whenever and wherever the hijackers believe they can get away with it.
Driveways, stop streets and robots provide ideal hijack spots, because it is easy for the hijackers to threaten and remove the driver (and passengers) when the car is stationery.
However, nothing will stop them from forcing a vehicle off the road and hijacking it.
Drive to a safe place:
When you have suspect that a hijacking may take place, drive to a safe, well-lit place. Go to a police station or shopping centre where there are other people around and where you can get help.
Phone the police:
Whenever you spot a suspect vehicle or persons who may pose a hijacking threat, call the police emergency number 10111.
"By calling police you might not only prevent a crime, you might actually save a life - your own," says Adriao.
If you have a breakdown:
Phone for help. If you have a flat tyre, drive to the nearest safe place where you can change the tyre. "A rim can be replaced, your life cannot," he says.
Don't threaten the hijackers:
"Unless you are really good at using a gun, don't threaten the hijackers, who are already pointing a gun at you," Adriao warns.
"Hijackers are not brave and are already nervous, which makes them trigger-happy.
"Keep your own gun concealed, get out of the car and get away," he says.
"The person who tries to take on the hijackers with his own gun is usually a victim."
Contributing to crime
Every person who buys cheap spare parts adds to the growth of the "hijacking industry", says Adriao.
Adriao says it is possible that the hijackings take place "on order", in other words that panel beaters put out the word that they need parts for a specific type of car, which the syndicate then hijack.
This often happens during holidays when more people are travelling longer distances, are involved in accidents, and need their vehicles repaired.
He says hijackers don't steal only expensive cars. "A visit to a chop shop shows that cars of all makes are vulnerable - from a Golf to a BMW.
"As long as there is a demand for cheap, stolen car parts, nobody is safe from hijackings."
Prevention
In an effort to crack down on hijacking syndicates, police are using a three-pronged approach:
Roadblocks:
Police hold sporadic roadblocks near areas where so-called chop shops exist, during which cars are stopped and searched for firearms and the legal ownership of the car is checked.
Search and seizure:
Police regularly search premises in areas known to have chop shops. Stolen vehicles and parts of vehicles that have already been stripped are seized.
Crime intelligence:
The organised crime unit of the police continually try to infiltrate syndicates from the bottom level - the car thief - to the top - the syndicate boss, "who pockets the money".
- News24
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