The cost of crime

According to Hugo van Zyl, CEO of the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, the hijacking of trucks, yellow metal vehicles, trailers and cargo, as well as sophisticated accident staging and false documentation, is on the rise …

Vehicle safety intelligence company, Tracker, corroborates this. “Truck fleets are targeted due to the ‘added value’ that their cargo offers to syndicates,” says Michael van Wyngaardt, executive for Tracker Business. “Criminals often know exactly what cargo is being transported, as well as the approximate value.”

Vehicles worth a staggering R8,5 billion are stolen and hijacked in South Africa annually – 30 percent of which (worth R4,9 billion) are taken across the border to neighbouring countries. Others (worth R3,1 billion) stay in the country as cloned vehicles and the rest (worth R514 million) end up in chop shops across South Africa.

Van Zyl adds: “Cross-border syndicates are a growing concern, thanks to our porous borders and the fact that crime-prevention stakeholders aren’t yet pooling resources effectively. Data sharing is the key.”

His is an impassioned appeal for business and crime prevention unity: “If we stand together now, we will win.”