The Gauteng department of community safety has urged courier companies and delivery drivers to tighten security measures after a rise in hijackings targeting courier vehicles across the province.
Department spokesperson Ofentse Morwane said courier drivers had increasingly become targets for criminal syndicates seeking to steal parcels, electronic devices and vehicles, making heightened vigilance essential.
Morwane said drivers should avoid deviating from planned routes, refrain from stopping in isolated areas and be alert to suspicious people or vehicles that may be following them. He said deliveries should, where possible, be verified through secure processes and drivers should avoid discussing the contents of deliveries with unauthorised people.
He also urged courier companies to strengthen their security measures by:
- ensuring vehicles are fitted with tracking devices;
- maintaining regular communication with drivers;
- conducting route risk assessments; and
- providing employees with hijacking response training.
Companies should also have clear emergency protocols to ensure incidents are reported and responded to quickly.
Morwane said the province continued to deploy crime-fighting technology, including CCTV cameras, helicopters and e-Panic systems, while law enforcement agencies and private security companies increased their visibility to combat vehicle-related crime.
He pointed to two recent intelligence-driven operations.
According to the department, the Gauteng Traffic Police Airwing, working with other law enforcement agencies, recently arrested five suspects while another was fatally wounded after officers acted on information about suspects allegedly involved in the hijacking of a company vehicle in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg.
The department said authorities recovered the hijacked vehicle, three vehicles allegedly used by the suspects and an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
In a separate operation in Reiger Park, Boksburg, the department said two suspects allegedly linked to courier robberies and other violent crimes were fatally wounded after a shootout with law enforcement officers.
Morwane said officers had been deployed after receiving information that the suspects were planning to commit a robbery. He said an attempted stop led to a high-speed chase and exchange of gunfire, during which the two suspects were fatally wounded.
The department said two unlicensed firearms, ammunition and two motor vehicles were recovered during the operation.
Morwane urged members of the public expecting deliveries to be vigilant and report information relating to hijackings or suspicious criminal activity.
He said the department was committed to working with law enforcement agencies and private security partners to combat vehicle-related crime and dismantle criminal networks targeting motorists and businesses.
TimesLIVE
Mmatumelo Lebjane
www.timeslive.co.za
