Police request public to remain vigilant after hijacking spike
LINDEN – When driving, be familiar with your environment and keep alert to anything around you that is out of the ordinary.
The Linden police are alerting the community to remain vigilant after an increase in hijacking incidents in the past week.
In one particular incident, a victim was hijacked in the Linden area and driven almost 50km to Grasmere on 15 October.
“Unfortunately, we had a hectic week last week dealing with six hijackings in total,” said Linden police’s spokesperson Constable Takalani Matumba.
According to the Linden police, there are two hijacking syndicates operating in the Linden policing area.
One group operates from Alexandra and drive a silver Honda Ballade with mag rims or a black Volkswagen Golf.
This group tends to strike in the early mornings between 5.45am and 7.30am in the Blairgowrie area,” Matumba said.
“The other syndicate is a group of armed coloured males who drive a white Volkswagen Polo GTI and a gold Volkswagen Jetta. The hijackings the second group are involved in, take place during the day, with their victims being dropped off in their stolen cars in Ennerdale or Grasmere. Most of the cars that are being hijacked are delivery vehicles,” she said.
“What we are asking community members and security companies to do is to observe and report if they see these vehicles behaving suspiciously and call us immediately if they witness an incident.”
The Linden police have issued the following safety tips for residents to be aware of:
- When driving, be familiar with your environment and keep alert to anything around you that is out of the ordinary
- Some cars lock automatically but always double-check your car by trying to open it by hand to see if it is locked
- In traffic, try to stop a few meters from the car in front of you to have space for a quick getaway if an incident happens
- If you suspect that you a being followed, keep moving while monitoring the car behind you and drive to your nearest police station or public space
- Keep your valuables out of sight
- Do not respond to people indicating to you that something is wrong with your car
- When approaching your driveway, look out for suspicious cars or people next to your house
- Ensure that all your mirrors are adjusted to give you an optimal view around your car
- Make sure you lock all the door before you drive off.
Details: Linden Police Station 011 888 9299.
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