{"id":212835,"date":"2017-11-25T19:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-11-25T17:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=212835"},"modified":"2017-11-24T15:49:38","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T13:49:38","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-car-thieves-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/212835\/what-you-need-to-know-about-car-thieves-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about car thieves in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

The high rate of vehicle theft<\/a> in South Africa is a cause for concern, particularly as we head into the festive season.<\/span> Understanding the patterns at play, and acting accordingly, is essential if one is to be effective and proactive, and avoid becoming another vehicle crime statistic.<\/p>\n

Fleet management and vehicle recovery firm, with tracking technology installed in 700,000 commercial and private vehicles across the country, Cartrack South Africa offers insights into the trends and patterns of vehicle theft in South Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trends change over time,\u201d said Andre Ittmann, chief executive officer of Cartrack South Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are a response to commercial and social patterns, as well as to evolving policing methods. However, there is definitely a key set of trends at play that every South African should bear in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ittmann noted that there tends be a significant increase in vehicle theft over weekends.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trend can be mainly attributed to the fact that there are more vehicles out in public places on weekends. More stationary vehicles result in more opportunities for theft, which means that more active criminals are in operation. As such, extra caution is always warranted on weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cartrack\u2019s data indicated that there are particularly high volumes of theft in January and November – 13% increase compared to other months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is often strong demand for stolen car parts at these times of year, which results in an increase in the number of stolen vehicles. Motorists should keep their eyes peeled at these times,\u201d said Ittmann.<\/p>\n

Gauteng is the province most affected by vehicle theft. A significant percentage of vehicles are stolen in Pretoria, with a clear spike in truck theft on the East Rand, and an equally obvious spike in minibus taxi thefts on the West Rand.<\/p>\n

Vehicle theft data by Cartrack<\/strong>:<\/p>\n