Joburg sees massive increase in car wheel theft – Affected areas

There has been a “massive increase” in car wheel theft after dark in the City of Johannesburg in recent weeks, according to a community alert posted to Facebook by the Honeydew Community Police Forum (CPF).

These incidents have largely been reported in the metro’s North-Western suburbs, including Bergbron, Fairlands, Florida, Randpark Ridge, and Weltevredenpark, but have also spread to other areas within the city, as reported by IOL.

Easy targets

The Honeydew CPF said that the tyre and wheel thieves generally target properties with low walls or those with easy access and lacklustre security.

The criminals apparently have no preference for specific vehicle brands or models as the Honeydew CPF’s Facebook post shows that wheels have recently been taken from a Toyota RAV4 SUV as well as a Chevrolet Aveo Sedan.

The incidents mostly occur in the early hours of the morning and the policing forum notes that the criminals are not working alone.

“Video footage that has been provided to us shows that the [criminals] are not on foot and have a car that assists them to get away with the loot,” said the Honeydew CPF.

The video surveillance indicates that the same vehicles are being used as getaway cars but are being rotated so as to avoid suspicion.

“We want to encourage residents to take precautions if their vehicles are parked outside in eye’s view from the road,” said the Honeydew CPF.

“Where possible, install wheel lock nuts to make it more difficult for these criminals to remove your tyres. If you have beams outside, then please make sure [they are] armed.”

The community policing forum highlights that it’s essential for victims to report these incidents to the South African Police Service (SAPS) as soon as possible.

Not doing so will make it difficult for the SAPS to record the crimes and establish trends that could assist it in tracking down the thieves and bringing them to book.

“We have notified all security companies and we are working closely with them,” said the Honeydew CPF.

“Please make sure that all cases are reported to SAPS.”