In the face of continuous carjackings reported by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the owner of a GPS installation business has lamented that vehicle owners tend to prioritise aesthetics over safety.
During an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Baari Gaffar said while mobile units have grown in popularity over the years, motorists are still not putting safety first.
“There are still many people who do not put GPS and it’s a matter of them not having it as a high priority because they’d say ‘na that won’t happen to me’,” Gaffar said.
Eleven years ago, Gaffar and his family were robbed following a trip to the beach. The experience eventually became the catalyst for him to enter the anti-theft industry.
“Our company has been operational since 2012, so this year will be our eleventh year. What caused me to start the GPS business was while vacationing with my family and following a trip to the beach, our car was broken into and the bandits stole everything. They were trying to steal the vehicle as well but they were unsuccessful and I wanted to come up with a way to prevent that from happening,” he said.
Gaffar noted that while many people aren’t driven to install anti-theft devices in their vehicles and seem to be stuck in gear, thieves are in overdrive.
“There is a vulnerability on certain vehicles, including the Aqua, Tiida, Axio and Fielder. Primarily, it is the key start models that are being targeted. They will go to the quarter panel in the back glass of the back door, not the main window, the one behind, smash that, open the back door, get entrance into the vehicle, get to the front door, then the ignition cylinder where you put your key, they smash that and either use a flat head screw driver or a bird beak, and start the vehicle.”
On Thursday, the T&T Police Service revealed that bandits were now broadening their vehicular target list to include Honda City vehicles and Kia and Hyundai pick-ups. TTPS media ambassador, ag ASP Rajesh Lal, urged vehicle owners to install GPS devices, especially as prices for the gadget had dropped over the years.
According to Gaffar, while prices of the anti-theft systems vary, members of the public can get a three-year-long service for less than $3,000.
“It is not just hardware you’re purchasing, you’re purchasing after-sale services for someone to ensure the system is operational. You try to take away the responsibility from the owner, who have so much going on in their lives because there are services such as 24- hours monitoring, 24-hour call centres, in the event of emergencies, there are people ready to respond and act on it.
Gaffar said there were also added protection features if bandits force vehicle owners to reveal the location of GPS devices.
“In the event you are held up and they ask where is the GPS, we have measures in place for you to give appropriate answers and we can still have countermeasures in place to get back your vehicle.”
Gaffar advised that as carjackings continue, people should steer towards anti-theft devices.
