Brixton Police Station is experiencing a rise in the number of reported hijacking incidents within its precinct.
Spokesperson for the station, Jeanette Backhoff, said most of these reported cases occurred in two instances; either while a motorist was sitting in their parked car, on the street at night or while parked in their driveway waiting for someone.
She urged people to avoid parking their vehicles in areas where there is little light or to sit in a stationary vehicle for long periods of time. she also advised motorists to rather park their vehicles inside their yard with the gate properly closed/locked.
The station wants community members to exercise extreme vigilance when they enter or leave their yard as are easy targets for hijackings.
The station said to:
- Check your street for would be perpetrators before you enter your home. Rather drive around the block to ensure that you are not being followed or when you see unfamiliar pedestrians around the street.
- Always be extra vigilant when leaving shopping centres, your work or when heading home late at night as this is when most follow homes take place.
- Always keep emergency numbers on hand such as your nearest police stations number.
- Be aware of vehicles parked close to your address especially with three or four people inside, as there could be hijackers observing the area.
Backhoff also explained that load shedding also has an impact on hijackings, “As traffic volumes increase and visibility decreases makes you more vulnerable to becoming a hijacking victim.”
According to the station’s crime analysis, most of the hijackings occur over weekends from Friday through to Sunday in areas such as Melville, Mayfair, Crosby and Brixton from about 12:00 to 21:00. There are no specific vehicles being targeted at this stage as they hijack all types of vehicles.
“We are doing everything we can to address hijackings in our policing area. We have daily crime awareness campaigns and extra patrols in the affected areas. We also have joined operations with other stakeholders assisting the station such as the dog unit, JMPD, neighbouring police stations, community patrollers and the CPF,” said Backhoff.
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