Mitigating business-owned vehicle hijacking and theft

Vehicle crime is as prevalent as ever and should remain a significant concern for South African businesses.

Tracker’s January to June 2024 vehicle crime statistics reveal that 52% of the national business vehicle crime volume to subscribers is experienced in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 15%, the Western Cape at 13% and the Eastern Cape at 9%.

Hijacking dominates business vehicle crime nationally. At a national level, a business vehicle is twice as likely to be hijacked than stolen.

This trend is even more pronounced in the Eastern Cape, the province with the highest propensity toward business vehicle crime when comparing subscriber volumes to vehicle crime incidents. The Western Cape follows a similar trend.

A business-owned vehicle in the Western Cape has a much greater likelihood of being hijacked than stolen, although there is statistically lower vehicle crime relative to Tracker’s business subscriber base.

• Visit www.tracker.co.za for more information.

Crime targeting business-owned vehicles is profitable, whether aimed at obtaining goods being delivered, cash or devices carried by drivers, or the vehicle itself.

It is therefore imperative for businesses to adopt proactive measures to protect their assets. Tracking services for businesses can help safeguard vehicles, cargo and drivers.

Protecting fleet vehicles

Today’s tracking services go beyond simple vehicle recovery. Modern GPS tracking systems combined with centralised management, analytics, and interactive dashboards provide fleet managers with real-time, precise visibility into the whereabouts of their vehicles at the click of a button.

Video telematics provides fleet operators with a deeper level of visibility into fleets and enhanced security. Capturing video footage of fleet and driver activities, video telematics offers a holistic view of the surrounding environment, including other vehicles, road conditions and weather, thus providing context to events.

Facial recognition on the edge coupled with a live look-in service enables fleet managers to have visual confirmation of the driver of a vehicle.

Shielding cargo

Cargo specific tracking devices and load monitoring sensors provide the essential tools required to monitor trailers.

Fleet managers can set up designated safe zones and get immediate notifications if any anomalies are detected with the trailers, for instance, if a cargo door is opened at a location not marked as a delivery site.

A further safeguard includes a remotely enabled key tag that can interface with a geofenced locking system to unlock a cargo door once the cargo is confirmed present at the designated delivery address.

Safeguarding drivers

Safety of drivers can be enhanced by features such as in-cab assist buttons that facilitate an immediate call from an on-duty fleet manager to arrange any required assistance.

Additionally, impact detection paired with emergency services dispatch, mobile applications designed to dispatch armed security services and medical assistance at the press of a panic button, and the ability for drivers to share their journeys with fleet managers, help ensure driver protection and well-being.

“Vehicle telematics has evolved from simple tracking devices to smart devices. Strategic investment in technology, combined with robust organisational policies and comprehensive business strategies can ensure greater protection against fleet crime,” says Duma Ngcobo, Chief Operating Officer at Tracker.

Visit www.tracker.co.za for more information.