Is your car safe at a washing bay?
Mar 24, 2004
Robbery and theft of motor vehicles, especially four wheel drive vehicles was one of the most common crimes in the country.
Robbery and theft of motor vehicles, especially four wheel drive vehicles was one of the most common crimes in the country.
Then came operation Wembley and later the Violent Crime Crack Unit who cracked down on armed robberies including those of vehicles. Private companies that brought in high-tech security devices that tracked down stolen vehicles even in the remotest areas of the region also sent a scare to many a car thief.
However, the situation seems to be changing. This time vehicles just disappear from their parking places.
“Theft of motor vehicles from parking places, fuel stations and streets have gone up. People park and go away, only to come back and find empty spaces where their vehicles have been stolen.
We suspect master keys are being used by the thugs†said Moses Sakira, regional CID officer in Charge of Kampala extra region.
Sakira said up to eight vehicles get stolen in this way in a week in Kampala alone.
According to the CID, annual crime report for 2003, car thefts in the country are on the rise, with 752 cases reported as compared to the 653 cases in 2002, showing an increase of 15.2%. The vehicles stolen were valued at sh2.5b, out of which vehicles valued at sh1.1b were recovered.
The police suspect that many owners may be careless with the keys of their vehicles, especially at washing bays.
Car owners have been leaving their keys with the people they give their vehicles to wash. These car washers either drive off with the vehicle or have been sketching the keys for duplication. Police has always advised motorists never to leave their keys with these fellows.
It is also advisable to have your vehicle washed from recognised washing bays or be present as the vehicle is being washed.
One of the common acts of mischief car washers do is draining fuel out of the vehicles they wash. Immediately the car is packed for washing, someone either goes underneath, unscrews the nut to the fuel tank and drains the fuel into a jellycan, or they put a tube in the tank and suck the fuel out, some times as much as 20 litres. The most notorious being the washing bay opposite Mulago Hospital at Makerere Kivulu.
“For quite long car thieves have used washing bays as the places from where they spot good cars for stealing,†said a police source.
Another area that police suspects to be linked to these vehicle thefts is second-hand vehicle markets.
These people sell vehicles with fake log books and use other people, who show up with genuine log books reclaiming the vehicle, making you the genuine buyer to look like you are the thief. This practice was common among car brokers around William Street between City House and former Co-operative Bank.
Police therefore advises that people buy vehicles from genuine and authorised dealers, or from people you trust, or can trace.
“If one is buying a second hand vehicle, it is advisable that you change the locking system so that it is difficult for the previous owners to attempt opening it,†said Sakira.
Sakira further advises vehicle owners to fit vehicles with security devices that can allow it be tracked in case of theft.
Then came operation Wembley and later the Violent Crime Crack Unit who cracked down on armed robberies including those of vehicles. Private companies that brought in high-tech security devices that tracked down stolen vehicles even in the remotest areas of the region also sent a scare to many a car thief.
However, the situation seems to be changing. This time vehicles just disappear from their parking places.
“Theft of motor vehicles from parking places, fuel stations and streets have gone up. People park and go away, only to come back and find empty spaces where their vehicles have been stolen.
We suspect master keys are being used by the thugs†said Moses Sakira, regional CID officer in Charge of Kampala extra region.
Sakira said up to eight vehicles get stolen in this way in a week in Kampala alone.
According to the CID, annual crime report for 2003, car thefts in the country are on the rise, with 752 cases reported as compared to the 653 cases in 2002, showing an increase of 15.2%. The vehicles stolen were valued at sh2.5b, out of which vehicles valued at sh1.1b were recovered.
The police suspect that many owners may be careless with the keys of their vehicles, especially at washing bays.
Car owners have been leaving their keys with the people they give their vehicles to wash. These car washers either drive off with the vehicle or have been sketching the keys for duplication. Police has always advised motorists never to leave their keys with these fellows.
It is also advisable to have your vehicle washed from recognised washing bays or be present as the vehicle is being washed.
One of the common acts of mischief car washers do is draining fuel out of the vehicles they wash. Immediately the car is packed for washing, someone either goes underneath, unscrews the nut to the fuel tank and drains the fuel into a jellycan, or they put a tube in the tank and suck the fuel out, some times as much as 20 litres. The most notorious being the washing bay opposite Mulago Hospital at Makerere Kivulu.
“For quite long car thieves have used washing bays as the places from where they spot good cars for stealing,†said a police source.
Another area that police suspects to be linked to these vehicle thefts is second-hand vehicle markets.
These people sell vehicles with fake log books and use other people, who show up with genuine log books reclaiming the vehicle, making you the genuine buyer to look like you are the thief. This practice was common among car brokers around William Street between City House and former Co-operative Bank.
Police therefore advises that people buy vehicles from genuine and authorised dealers, or from people you trust, or can trace.
“If one is buying a second hand vehicle, it is advisable that you change the locking system so that it is difficult for the previous owners to attempt opening it,†said Sakira.
Sakira further advises vehicle owners to fit vehicles with security devices that can allow it be tracked in case of theft.