|
|
||||||||||||||||||
.gif)
|
Commercial vehicles under attack as hijack season starts |
| The festive season has started early for hijackers and commercial vehicles seem to be at the top of their wish lists this year. This is according to Hannelie Snow, spokesperson for MiX Telematics Africa, formerly known as Matrix Vehicle Tracking. The company had already noted an "alarming increase in thefts and hijackings of commercial vehicles", she said. "Just before the Christmas holiday season delivery trucks are targeted, especially for their cargo, but the trend we are noticing is (occurring) much earlier than usual." For security and legal reasons, Snow could not reveal statistics or what type of commercial vehicles was being targeted. The criminals often went for both the cargo and the truck, she said. Items stolen from the trucks included food, precious minerals, metals to sell as scrap, household appliances and alcohol. Most of the time the hijackers were after the money collected during deliveries, not the consumables as such, Snow said. Hijacked trucks would be taken to the borders of Mozambique and Botswana, she said. Once the vehicle was across the border, it was re-registered in that country. But, Snow said, there were rules that companies could follow to outsmart hijackers. "The first thing is that the companies need to maintain constant communication with their drivers," she said, adding that a driver's cellphone must be checked and charged before he went on the road. "Cellphone communication can assist in raising the alarm much earlier and could save the life of the driver, the cargo and the cost of replacing a vehicle," she said. Another rule is that the vehicle must be checked thoroughly before it leaves. She said hijackers often duped drivers into stopping by indicating that there was something wrong with the vehicle. "At least if the driver knows the condition of the vehicle, he won't be fooled by someone trying to pull him over," she said. By Thandi Skade The Star 09/09/08e1 Click here to respond to this article - Your responses will get vetted and printed on "Have your Say" Click here if you would like to be alerted to new Crime Awareness articles. |
|
.gif)
|
|
|
||
 |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
[ PRIVACY POLICY ][ TERMS & CONDITIONS ]