SEE: Big hijacking trends and hotspot areas to take notice of

Updated Aug. 22, 2022, 7:54 a.m. | By Darren, Keri and Sky

There has been a significant increase in hijackings.

Car theft is nothing new to South Africans.

According to Netstar, criminals are developing new methods to target cars that are technologically advanced, like cars with start buttons.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) recently conducted research which covers the period of April to June 2022.

According to that research, there has been a total of 5,866 hijackings that were reported across the country over the period.

That is a 14% increase from the last figure presented, which was 5,146 hijackings reported over the same time period.

While these numbers increase at an alarming rate, it's also important to note where in South Africa these hijackings are taking place.

Most of the car theft cases were reported in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape.

Amongst the provinces, Mpumalanga is the only one that shows a slight decline in hijackings.

SAPS have compiled a list of stations that have been proven to be major hotspot areas for hijackings.

Motorists should be warned about hijackers who are constantly changing their trends.

They do this because loads of cars nowadays are becoming more and more technologically advanced.

New trends to look out for include; increased use of key re-programmers and signal grabbers to counteract new push to start buttons.

What is important to note is the type of vehicles that are being hijacked.

Security company Fidelity made recent research data available that shows which vehicles hijackers target in South Africa.

As a motorist, always be on the look out for any suspicious activity.