Page 30 - Logistics News - Issue 01 - 2024.indd

CR IME S T A T I S T I CS

Hijacking prevails – driven by

the target on business vehicles

Tracker’s vehicle crime statistics for the period January to June 2023 reveal that a business vehicle is

twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen.

he Tracker Vehicle Crime Index reveals that hijackings trend applies when examining business vehicle crime, with
still dominate, accounting for 55 percent of all national Gauteng at 55 percent, KwaZulu-Natal at 16 percent and the
T vehicle crime incidents versus theft at 45 percent. Western Cape at 14 percent.
However, while the hijacking-to-theft ratio for personal vehicles
is relatively even at around a 50/50 split, a business vehicle has However, KwaZulu-Natal business vehicles are more likely to
a far higher hijacking propensity at 65 percent versus theft at 35 encounter vehicle crime when considering Tracker’s provincial
percent. customer base of business vehicles, exceeding proportional
representation of crime incidents by 27 percent. This is followed
The index aggregates information from Tracker’s more by Gauteng, exceeding proportional representation of crime
than 1.1 million subscriptions. Tracker’s data indicates that a incidents by 16 percent.
business vehicle is 59 percent more likely to experience vehicle
crime and 32 percent more likely to experience hijacking than a Western Cape business vehicles are less likely to experience
personal vehicle. vehicle crime relative to the national business customer base,
yet are six times more likely to be hijacked than stolen. Second
Gauteng is still the province that to Gauteng in terms of business vehicle hijacking volume, the
experiences the most vehicle Western Cape has a hijacking-to-theft ratio of 85 percent to 15
crime with 60 percent of the percent.
total vehicle crime incidents,
followed by KwaZulu-Natal at There is also statistically lower business vehicle crime
17 percent and the Western collectively for provinces other than Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and
Cape at 9 percent. The same the Western Cape. However, the crime that occurs in these regions
is again skewed towards hijacking, with business vehicles in these
areas three times more likely to encounter hijacking versus theft.
Duma Ngcobo, Chief

Operating Officer at Nationwide, a higher proportion of vehicles are reported

Tracker. hijacked on Fridays and between the hours of 11am and 3pm,
while theft is mainly reported on Saturdays and between the hours
of 11am and 3pm.

“Crime sophistication varies provincially, usually linked to
emerging crime opportunities such as changes within regional
transportation logistics,” says Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating

Officer at Tracker. “We are currently seeing the emergence of
more sophisticated vehicle crime syndicates in Gauteng and
escalating violence accompanying vehicle crime in KwaZulu-Natal.
Businesses and consumers should remain aware of the risks
and always be vigilant on our roads. Partner with a trusted vehicle
tracking and recovery company offering proactive and pre-emptive
services designed to help protect drivers, vehicles and cargo.” •

28 I S S UE 01 – 2024 www .l o g ist i csn e w s .c o .z a