Tackling motor vehicle crime head-on
Adam Samie, chairman of the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) handed over a cheque in the amount of R1 469 000 to Business Against Crime South Africa at a function in Johannesburg yesterday. This is the seventh consecutive donation made by SAIA on behalf of its short-term insurance members. “The unacceptable levels of crime are still of great concern to SAIA, its members and the country at large. This is the sole justification for the continued support by the SAIA to Business Against Crime South Africa’s initiatives for the fight against crime,” said SAIA deputy chief executive, Refilwe Moletsane.
Speaking at the event, Samie acknowledged that while progress had been made in the last ten years, motor vehicle crime was remained regrettable and unique in the world due to the degree of violence with which the crime is so often associated in South Africa.
Motor claims dominate short-term
SAIA’s donation will be put to use in various initiatives to tackle vehicle theft and hijacking. Business Against Crime South Africa notes that the funds will be put to work in its National Vehicle Crime Projects. “Many o the initiatives of Business Against Crime South Africa have yielded positive results. In relation to national vehicle hijacking crime statistics, a decline of 9.9% was noted over the period April to June 2007 when compared to the same period in 2006. This reduction can be attributed to the continued efforts in the collective fight against crime,” said Siphiwe Nzimande, CEO of the group. We visited the SAPS crime statistics website and discovered that numbers for the months October to March of each year are not published?
Part of the motivation for SAIA’s ongoing support is the amount of money this form of crime costs both the insurance industry and the South African economy as a whole. Samie pointed out that in 2005, the motor class of insurance accounted for R9.1bn of the R18.45bn paid out by short-term insurers – almost 50% of the total. Stripping out the cost associated with accident repairs and other similar expenses, we find that motor vehicle theft and hijacking account for around 30% of the total. And that means SAIA’s members pay claims of almost R3bn a year as a direct result of this criminal activity.
Imagine how big this number would be if more South Africans were insured… Estimates are that only 1/3 of the country’s passenger cars are insured at any given time.
Vehicle crime on the decline
Accepting the donation, Business Against Crime South Africa said: “We regard this as another milestone in the fight against crime – particularly motor vehicle theft and hijacking...” They believe the group’s actions “have been felt by the insurance industry – and the benefits passed on to the community.” Business Against Crime South Africa notes that vehicle theft and hijacking have declined since 1996. This feat has been achieved despite South Africa’s motor vehicle population rising from 6.2m to 9.0m between 1996 and 2007. In 2006 there were 90 502 motor vehicle thefts and some 16 850 hijacking cases; while last year these crimes were put at 73 000 and 15 000 respectively.
What this means is South Africa has reduced the total of vehicles stolen or hijacked from 17/1000 in 2006 to a more acceptable rate of 10/1000 last year. Australia is closer to 5/1000 at present. One of the frightening statistics mentioned during the presentation was that the vehicle recovery rate has remained constant at around 43% throughout this period. Business Against Crime South Africa says this indicates the level of sophistication of the organised crime rings that are operating in the country at the moment.
A major disappointment is that despite the reduction over the last decade, “our hijacking figures are unparalleled elsewhere.” And with one hijacking being one too many Business Against Crime South Africa will continue its initiatives to reduce the incidents of vehicle crime in the years ahead.
Editor’s thoughts:
The admission that organised crime in this country contributes to the low recovery rate for stolen and hijacked vehicles casts a dim light on government’s recent decision to dismantle the scorpions. What do you think needs to be done to combat vehicle theft and hijacking going forward? Send you comments to [email protected] – or simply add them below.
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