Criminals carry out 35 hijackings a day in South Africa, with Gauteng leading the way with 19 hijackings a day.
KwaZulu-Natal has six hijackings a day, and the Western Cape has four.
While hijackings had increased by 14.2% in the country, according to crime statistics released in September, they had decreased marginally in the province by 3.2%
A snap survey of the statistics showed that Chatsworth, Pinetown and Isipingo were hot spots for hijackings in Durban and surrounding areas.
In Chatsworth, hijackings shot up by 60% to 188 cases in the April 2014 to March 2015 period, while incidents in Isipingo rose by 36% to 110 cases, from 81 in the same period.
Pinetown recorded a 27% decrease in cases, but still recorded 147 incidents.
The statistics showed that hijackings decreased in most Durban suburbs, including Westville, Berea and Greenwood Park.
Theft of motor vehicles was on the increase in most areas, with a surge of cases in Greenwood Park and Isipingo.
The Chatsworth community police forum’s Jakes Singh said hijackings and theft of vehicles were occurring at an alarming rate in the area.
The forum was working with its sub-forums to create awareness among residents.
“We are trying to make people more proactive and get them involved in street committees and neighbourhood watches.
“But it is going to take a great deal of work to bring the levels down.”
Residents were still being targeted in their driveways and were also being accosted outside businesses.
Isipingo community police forum chairman Denzil Reddy said residents wanted to hold an anti-crime march to the local police station, but were waiting for a permit from the eThekwini Municipality.
He said residents were involved in neighbourhood watches and street patrols, but this did not seem to be deterring criminals.
Reddy said hijackings were a “daily occurrence” in the area. In a recent incident, resident Leon Maistry had been killed in an attempted hijacking.
He had been in the head by hijackers who had fled without taking his vehicle.
Reddy said that in another recent incident a resident had been hijacked and dumped in Umlazi.
“There are too many incidents. People are living in fear.”
Residents wanted more police visibility and a satellite station at the boom gate at Lotus Park, which was a common escape route for criminals.
“We are not fighting with the local police. We want to work with them and want them to get the resources to fight crime.”
Vehicle tracking company Cartrack said its data showed hijackings in Hillcrest, Durban North, Chatsworth and Westville, and incidents of vehicle theft in Morningside, Musgrave, the Durban CBD and Chatsworth.
“While the data may be reflective of Cartrack’s client base, it is important to note that at all times drivers of vehicles need to be vigilant about their surroundings,” said Jerry Pierce, Cartrack’s operations manager.
Their data suggested that hijackings were more likely to occur between 4pm and 8pm, which reflected the pattern of vehicle crime around the country.
He added that drivers needed to know how to react in a hijacking situation and not to resist the attackers or show any aggression.
They advised victims of hijackings to:
* Co-operate and remain calm.
* Acknowledge the hijacker’s presence without making eye contact.
* Keep hands visible at all times. http://beta.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/sa-faces-35-car-hijackings-a-day-1942729
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