Gauteng motorists have been warned to keep a look-out for criminals masquerading as traffic officers with an intent to kidnap, rob or hijack unsuspecting road users.
According to Business Day, this follows a report of a doctor being hijacked and robbed on the N3 highway near Vosloorus by five men driving a white vehicle with blue lights. Three of them were wearing police uniforms.
Gauteng Traffic Police spokesperson Sello Maremane is quoted as saying: ‘This is one of the trends used by hijackers to mislead motorists into falling victim to kidnappings and hijackings. I call on all motorists to beware of criminals who drive around in vehicles with blue lights illegally installed, with an ulterior motive of hijacking, robbing people and possibly causing them harm.’
Maremane said every traffic officer had an appointment certificate identifying them, which the public had a right to demand to see.
‘It is also important to note that the National Road Traffic Act dictates that a traffic officer must have a name tag while stopping vehicles. Lastly, the branding of the vehicle can be used to identify the organisation’s identity even if it is not compulsory for officers to use branded vehicles,’ he said.
He recommended that if motorists felt unsafe, they should drive to the nearest police station.
[Image: Mike Powell, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4208645]