Thieves going high-tech with jammers

2012-09-20 22:22

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Cape Town - There has been a rise in the theft of goods out of or from motor vehicles, with criminals now using devices to jam electronic locking systems, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Thursday.

"Our research confirms that the use of remote control devices to prevent the automatic locking of doors - which has now become the second most-frequently used [method] employed to commit theft out of or from motor vehicles - may have led to this increase," he said, tabling the annual crime statistics in Cape Town.

The rise was during the period 1 April 2011, to 31 March this year.

Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Mzwandile Petros, in his capacity as head of the SA Police Service's crime statistics research task team, said there were more people reporting they had returned to their parked car to find it unlocked, and what they had left inside stolen.

The police were working closely with "other partners" to reduce this problem, but it needed a "scientific solution".

The phenomenon was prevalent in shopping complex parking areas, he said.

According to the report, there were 130 475 reported cases of theft out of or from motor vehicles during 2011/12. This represents an almost 6% increase over the previous year's total of 123 091 cases.

Hardest hit were Gauteng motorists (39 228 cases), closely followed by their Western Cape counterparts (38 375 cases). The two provinces account for almost 60% of total theft from vehicle cases in the country.

- SAPA