{"id":725916,"date":"2023-10-19T11:30:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T09:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=725916"},"modified":"2023-10-19T11:30:21","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T09:30:21","slug":"private-security-warns-of-kidnapping-surge-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/725916\/private-security-warns-of-kidnapping-surge-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Private security warns of kidnapping surge in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Private security group Fidelity has warned South Africans of a spike in kidnappings in the country this year, with over 3,600 cases recorded in the last quarter alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to SAPS statistics, 3,641 cases of kidnapping were registered in South Africa in the first quarter of 2023\/2024 (April to June 2023). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there are kidnappings in all nine provinces, Gauteng had the highest number of cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. The Northern Cape and Free State recorded the lowest number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gauteng\u2019s top five hotspots are Vosloorus, Thembisa, Midrand, Protea and Orange Farm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In KZN, the top five high-risk areas for kidnappings are Umlazi, Inanda, Durban Central, Pinetown and Ntuzuma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CEO of Fidelity Services Group, Wahl Bartmann said that the public should not be na\u00efve about the profile of victims or kidnappers\u2019 motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bartmann said that when most people hear of a kidnapping, they immediately think of a high-net-worth businessperson being held for a ransom of millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the country has seen its fair share of these kinds of kidnappings over the years, he stressed that &#8220;the ordinary man in the street&#8221; is a target for criminals too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-businesstech wp-block-embed-businesstech\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"vGQLJhDYYS\"><a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/721300\/kidnapping-syndicates-are-targeting-business-people-and-students-in-south-africa\/\">Kidnapping syndicates are targeting business people and students in South Africa<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Kidnapping syndicates are targeting business people and students in South Africa&#8221; &#8212; BusinessTech\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/721300\/kidnapping-syndicates-are-targeting-business-people-and-students-in-south-africa\/embed\/#?secret=0RMmYGhAx0#?secret=vGQLJhDYYS\" data-secret=\"vGQLJhDYYS\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;An increasingly prevalent trend in recent times is &#8216;express kidnappings&#8217;, where motorists are hijacked and driven in their own vehicle or another vehicle to an ATM and forced to withdraw cash. They are then also robbed of valuables before being left at an isolated location,&#8221; Bartmann said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human trafficking, particularly the abduction of women and children, also remains a pervasive issue in South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn fact, it is more prevalent in &#8216;quiet suburbia&#8217; than many residents would like to acknowledge,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The security expert said that the \u2018clients\u2019 in kidnapping cases are as diverse as the crime itself, and can be anyone from criminal organisations and political extremists to ransom kidnappers and family members embroiled in a dispute of some sort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCriminal organisations, such as drug cartels, terrorist organisations and criminal gangs, target people they can gain financially from, there\u2019s a political reason or the deed will help them to exert control over a particular area. Political extremists may target government officials, diplomats or foreigners to advance their agendas or make demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKidnapping for ransom is simply criminals looking for financial gain by targeting wealthy individuals, businesspeople or tourists who are perceived to have the means to pay a significant ransom. In some cases, custody disputes can lead to the abduction of a child and, in rare cases, an individual with a psychological disorder can engage in kidnapping for reasons not easily explained.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid falling victim to kidnappers, Bartmann said being vigilant around your personal safety is imperative at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the same precautions you would take in everyday life in South Africa apply, as does common sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 6 important tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t be flashy with expensive jewellery and other items in public;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vary your routines or periodically change travel routes;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t engage with strangers;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially when leaving and arriving home;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Secure your home, particularly the perimeter with electric fencing, proper lighting and CCTV;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If threatened, attract attention.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Bartmann concludes that motives behind kidnapping can be multifaceted and may vary depending on the specific circumstances and the region where the crime occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhile law enforcement agencies and private security experts work to address and prevent kidnappings, by understanding these motives and taking appropriate measures to combat this criminal activity, each and every one of us has a responsibility towards our own personal safety. Vigilance is key,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/704595\/kidnapping-syndicates-in-south-africa-are-now-going-after-easier-targets\/\">Kidnapping syndicates in South Africa are now going after \u2018easier\u2019 targets<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The police have logged over 1,200 kidnappings a month in South Africa, as private security groups bolster their specialist units to take on the growing crime trend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":645563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=725916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":725954,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725916\/revisions\/725954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=725916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=725916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=725916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}