Colonel Phiwe Ndwandwe, station commander of Heidelberg SAPS, briefed the media on hijackings in Heidelberg.
Ndwandwe said it is concerning that there are groups, especially blue light gangs, that are targeting and hijacking vehicles in the area.
According to reports most of the hijackings occur at night.
Ndwandwe said, “If at any time you are not sure that when you are stopped that the ‘officials’ or vehicle that they drove in is valid, phone 10111.
“By doing this, you will be able to confirm if the police officials are legal and not part of a gang.”
Some tips to remember when stopped:
• Do not stop in a dark or isolated place.
• When stopped at night put on your hazards and drive to a safe well-lit place – preferably a police station or a well-lit petrol station.
• Try to get the name or registration of the person that stopped you.
• Remember where you are and what the surroundings look like.
• Points of interest are of utmost importance.
• Be vigilant.
• Do not pick up hitchhikers.
A new trend is females, who are part of these gangs, get picked up which leads to the vehicles being stolen by gangs.
When some hijacking cases are investigated it is found either the hijacking never occurred because the driver is working hand-in-hand with the perpetrators or the hijacking never happened in Heidelberg. That is happening more and more often.
Another scenario is people loitering on the highway and hitchhiking.
When the driver stops to pick up the hitchhiker, they fall victim to hijackers.
There are also a lot of false hijacking reports and police cautioned those found lying will be dealt with harshly.
Loiterers and hitchhikers will also be charged if found on the highways and byways.
