South Africa has seen a significant increase in crimes against patrons of bars and restaurants, especially during the broadcast of sporting events, Fidelity ADT, one of the country's largest public facility security companies, said on Friday.
The police also encourage residents and, above all, tourists to remain vigilant when socialising in restaurants or pubs.
Criminals steal customers' mobile phones, wallets, credit cards, cars parked in front of pubs, and take advantage of their absence from home to commit burglaries, often using previously stolen keys.
The latest police figures show that in South Africa, thieves steal 66 cars every day. The most frequently hijacked vehicles are Toyota cars. The Japanese manufacturer has even started installing anti-theft technology designed specifically for South Africa.
According to police statistics, residents of Gauteng, including Pretoria and Johannesburg, are most exposed to this type of crime. The Western Cape, including Cape Town, and Kwa-Zulu Natal, including Durban, rank second and third respectively for this type of criminal activity.
For several years, South Africa's largest cities have occupied leading positions on the lists of the most dangerous places in the world. This year, Pretoria was once again in second place. Durban and Johannesburg are in third and fourth place respectively. Port Elizabeth is in eighth place and Cape Town in 18th place, which means that the top twenty most dangerous cities in the world include as many as five from South Africa.
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The scale of the negative phenomenon in South Africa is evidenced by the information revealed by the police on Friday that over half a million people were arrested in twelve months as part of Operation Shanela, aimed at reducing crime in the country. From January to March of this year alone, 547 people were arrested. During this time, the police killed over 150 suspects who resisted arrest.
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This article was originally published on Onet Travel.