The managing member is Daniel Jacobus Day and the business has a personnel of seven (7) employees. Our business premises is situated at Tigervalley, 9 Eva Road, B.A.H. All our investigators were previously members of the S.A.P.S a specialised unit, East Rand Murder & Robbery Unit, PSIRA registered and trained. We established the S.A.P.S Truck Hi-jacking Unit in 1989, which actually originates from the East Rand Murder and Robbery Unit. We have been involved in truck hi-jacking investigations since 1989 and after leaving the S.A.P.S in 1995, we specialised in truck hi-jacking investigations. We investigate at least 420 truck hi-jackings per year, an average of 34 per month. We mainly receive appointments from the Insurance Companies to wit, Captive Administrators, Santam Complex Claims, Regent Insurance Company, Absolute Underwriting Managers, Otta, Reef Insurance, African Motor Underwriters, Glenrand MIB, Etana Trucking, Hollard, Transit Underwriting Managers, Senate Transit Underwriters, I.U.M and Lynx, Libra Brokers and many more. We also accept private appointments from the Clients (Transporters) directly. On a daily basis, we liaise with the Clients, all different satellite tracking companies, question and interrogate drivers and assistants, visit scenes of crimes and places where the drivers were off-loaded and detained, visit truck stops, warehouses and possible receivers, liaise with other assessors and investigators, as well as with the S.A.P.S investigating officers in each case. Upon receiving of instructions, we also task our informants on a daily basis and de-brief them. We liaise with our contacts at all the different border posts and our counterparts in the neighbouring countries. We visit the neighbouring countries almost on a monthly basis, depends on information and need. We have contact with Interpol and correspond with members of the Organise Crime Units and Province Investigation Units also on a daily basis. The first hour after an incident took place, is called the “golden hour” and thereafter the first three (3) hours, as any hi-jacked truck can reach any border post, entering one of the neighbouring countries within four (4) hours after a hi-jacking. It also gives us time to liaise with the different satellite tracking companies and their ground crew, to visit the last polling positions, do enquires in the vicinity and to view video footage in the areas. In a case where time lapsed for whatever reason, it makes our chances slim in recovering the hi-jacked combination. We cannot specifically say what percentage a late notification influence a recovery, but it is common knowledge that all satellite tracking companies, recovery agents and ourselves, depend on speedy notification to be in a better position to recover. This makes our chances better if the notification is immediately or very soon thereafter. Our recovery rate varies from 85% upon immediate appointment to maybe more, and an overall recovery rate between 65% and 75%. There are four (4) truck hi-jacking investigators at our office and we all get involved at the same time when we receive an appointment. The administration personnel then types the border and vehicle storage premises letters and liaise with the client and S.A.P.S as well to obtain documentation and first hand information. Our primary goal is to investigate all the possible avenues to recover the hi-jacked or stolen combination and to interview the driver and assistant to establish their involvement and/or negligence. We are also on an ongoing basis investigating truck hi-jackings and syndicates with the Carte Blanche Investigative journalists to expose truck hi-jacking syndicates. Upon non-recovery, we listed same on our database.
