R559, R28, and N14 identified as hijacking hotspots ahead of the festive season
There is a new hijacking trend and motorists across the West Rand have been warned to be extra vigilant when travelling along the R559, R28 and N14.
Motorists across the West Rand are urged to be extremely vigilant on several roads that have been identified as hijacking hotspots ahead of the festive season.
According to Randfontein Police Station Commander Brigadier Jacob Manamela, these roads include the R559, and R28 at the different traffic lights and stop signs and on the N14 crossroads.
In addition, Manamela said people need to constantly check their surroundings when driving.
“We have identified these roads as hijacking hotspots and we are urging people to constantly be on the lookout and lock their cars when travelling, especially this festive season. This is because criminals are out and about at this time of the year and are targeting motorists.
“Apart from locking their doors, it’s also best for people not to open their windows fully, as this will ensure that they are in a better position to try and drive off during a hijacking attempt instead of being entirely exposed when approached by criminals,” said Manamela.
He added that some of these perpetrators come dressed in bogus police uniforms and traffic officer uniforms to be more convincing to motorists, especially truck drivers.
According to Manamela, these bogus officers sometimes convince motorists that there is something wrong with their tyres or that something fell out of their car so that they can pull over.
Once they do this, the motorists and passengers are then pounced on and robbed of their belongings.
“Apart from this trend, we have also noticed that people are sometimes targeted at their driveways when they try to pull up into their properties. This usually happens in the evening and we urge people to always be vigilant to avoid such incidents,” said Manamela.
