A recent spike in carjackings has Victoria Police concerned, with delivery drivers increasingly becoming targets of the crimes.
Over 12 months to March 2024, there were 359 carjackings recorded in Victoria, with several disturbing incidents filmed by alleged thieves.
Police intelligence shows food delivery drivers make up a significant number of victims.
READ MORE: Tragic end to search for missing swimmers
Video recently emerged of a food delivery driver being attacked in Southbank.
The driver was punched and kicked while on the ground, but managed to hold onto the bag containing his customer’s meal.
It’s one of many recent incidents where drivers were allegedly stalked and attacked, with their food and vehicles stolen.
“It is very concerning because often they will just leave their vehicle running for ease of access when they go and drop off some goods,” Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shan Patton said.
Some drivers were even tracked by alleged thieves from a restaurant to a delivery location.
“We’ve got workers that are being tracked by an algorithm, who get small payments per job that they have to do, and the reality is that they have to rush from job to job,” Transport Workers Union National Assistant Secretary Emily MacMillan said.
READ MORE: Thieves run over husband and wife with own car
Two delivery drivers were recently carjacked in separate incidents in Langwarrin, with one worker allegedly punched in the head and then run over by a group of teenagers.
The 33-year-old was left with serious injuries.
Around the corner, a female delivery driver was dropping off food when an alleged thief stole her car and crashed it into a nearby house.
The offender is yet to be caught.
Uber says it has a team available 24/7 to respond to incidents and help with police investigations.
They also said that delivery workers are offered counselling if something goes wrong on their shift.
links to content on ABC
9News
