Latest news with #Koen
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
WATCH: IOL goes on exclusive aerial mission in SA's vehicle crime war
IOL went with Netstar to recover a hijacked vehicle, which was located successfully within an hour Image: Nicola Mawson It starts out as an exceptionally cold day – five degrees – when I arrive at Netstar's Global Fleet Bureau (GFB) in Midrand with the plan of going up in a helicopter on a mission to recover a stolen or hijacked car. The GFB contact center at Netstar's head office is the first point of call for people who have just been hijacked or come out of the shops and found their car stolen. Between verifying identities to ensure the call is legit and getting a response team on the ground or in the air, Contact Center Manager Rajan Algoppen, told IOL will take a maximum of 15 minutes in winter or at night, and that's because the bird needs to warm up. The recovery company reacts as quickly as possible while remaining securely within the boundaries of the law, such as complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act, and aspects such as air traffic control. Netstar's Global Fleet Bureau where calls are received Image: Nicola Mawson Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Calls coming into the contact center can vary from someone who has just been hijacked through to a stolen vehicle as well as people who are concerned about loved ones for a variety of reasons. Jeandre Koen, MD of Netstar SA, explained that it is increasingly seeing incidents of people being kidnapped. This, Koen said, is a bid by criminals to take the 'heat' away from them by having collateral. Ransoms, too, are on the increase, he said. Algoppen said that call center staff are specifically trained to help people deal with these sorts of difficult situations and they are also offered counselling so they can debrief. South Africans are being held for days, which also enables thieves to make best use of their smartphone banking app, pulling out the maximum cash, said Koen. He added that hijackers then dump people, usually naked and without a cellphone, somewhere very out of the way where the closest human can be as far away as a two-hour walk. 'They make it difficult to find your people.' The South African Police Service's (SAPS') crime stats for the period between October and December last year showed that there were 4 807 carjackings in those three months – 1 602 a month, although this a 20% decrease year-on-year. During the last quarter of 2024, there were 413 truck jackings. At the National Airways Corporation heliport close to Netstar's head office, a call comes in and the chase is on. Pilot Jaco spins up the blades on the Robertson R44 Raven 2, while airtracker Bongani starts tracking the car – a Kio Picanto. The car has been taken in Centurion and the helicopter is steered along its most likely escape route. Live agents back in the GFB, based on years of knowledge, help direct recovery efforts along likely escape routes. In the helicopter, Jaco pilots it north towards Centurion and the chase is on. While he's flying and liaising with various air traffic controllers such as at Midrand's Grand Central Airport, Bongani is checking the signal from the car and keeping an almost literal eagle eye out the windscreen and windows. The Kia is found a short while later, and the adrenaline rush is over barring the paperwork. Jaco explained that once the vehicle has been found, the chase is handed over to the ground crew who have also been tracking the car and liaising with the police. While the Kia was recovered, many other popular brands are taken for spare parts. Grant Fraser, Netstar Group MD, told IOL that, in addition to popular vehicles such as VW Polos, Toyota Fortuner and Hilux models as well as the Nissan NP 200 being stolen for replacements, 'we are starting to see the high value vehicles' being taken. Fraser noted models such as Land Cruisers and Prados were often used in cash in transit heists as they can force a security truck off the road. Other higher-end vehicles were also set to be shipped overseas or across Africa, added Koen. Grant Fraser, Netstar Group MD Image: Nicola Mawson Vehicle theft, said Fraser, is about economics. While patterns have changed in the past few years post Covid-19, the current trend the Altron unit has seen is that thefts often happen over weekends, while hijackings take place from Wednesday to Friday, said Koen – although this does vary. 'Crime goes to where people go,' Koen said. Koen also said that crooks sometimes used luxury cars as getaway vehicles after a cash-in-transit heist, with another option being for them to use something as innocuous as a Hilux, while 29 cases of cash-in-transit robberies were reported by the SAPS in the last quarter of 2024. Fraser added that the company, which also offers truck fleet management solutions, has seen an increase in theft of cargo such as cellphones, cigarettes, alcohol, as well as metals like copper. Netstar's Robertson R44 Raven 2 helicopter Image: Nicola Mawson Netstar, which recovers about 700 vehicles a month with a more than 90% recovery rate, tracks total vehicles movements that are equivalent to a road going to the moon and back 4.5 times every hour. Given the current landscape as well as the technology and data available to companies like Netstar, it has been accelerating innovation, said Fraser. He added that innovation 'is helping us to improve our recovery rate'. The company is also working with Business 4 South Africa to help build safe corridors, with new technologies being geared towards protecting drivers as well as what they are carrying in their vehicles. 'We save lives; that is the priority, and we do that every single day,' said Fraser. IOL
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
WATCH: IOL goes on exclusive aerial mission in SA's vehicle crime war
IOL went with Netstar to recover a hijacked vehicle, which was located successfully within an hour Image: Nicola Mawson It starts out as an exceptionally cold day – five degrees – when I arrive at Netstar's Global Fleet Bureau (GFB) in Midrand with the plan of going up in a helicopter on a mission to recover a stolen or hijacked car. The GFB contact center at Netstar's head office is the first point of call for people who have just been hijacked or come out of the shops and found their car stolen. Between verifying identities to ensure the call is legit and getting a response team on the ground or in the air, Contact Center Manager Rajan Algoppen, told IOL will take a maximum of 15 minutes in winter or at night, and that's because the bird needs to warm up. The recovery company reacts as quickly as possible while remaining securely within the boundaries of the law, such as complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act, and aspects such as air traffic control. Netstar's Global Fleet Bureau where calls are received Image: Nicola Mawson Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Calls coming into the contact center can vary from someone who has just been hijacked through to a stolen vehicle as well as people who are concerned about loved ones for a variety of reasons. Jeandre Koen, MD of Netstar SA, explained that it is increasingly seeing incidents of people being kidnapped. This, Koen said, is a bid by criminals to take the 'heat' away from them by having collateral. Ransoms, too, are on the increase, he said. Algoppen said that call center staff are specifically trained to help people deal with these sorts of difficult situations and they are also offered counselling so they can debrief. South Africans are being held for days, which also enables thieves to make best use of their smartphone banking app, pulling out the maximum cash, said Koen. He added that hijackers then dump people, usually naked and without a cellphone, somewhere very out of the way where the closest human can be as far away as a two-hour walk. 'They make it difficult to find your people.' The South African Police Service's (SAPS') crime stats for the period between October and December last year showed that there were 4 807 carjackings in those three months – 1 602 a month, although this a 20% decrease year-on-year. During the last quarter of 2024, there were 413 truck jackings. At the National Airways Corporation heliport close to Netstar's head office, a call comes in and the chase is on. Pilot Jaco spins up the blades on the Robertson R44 Raven 2, while airtracker Bongani starts tracking the car – a Kio Picanto. The car has been taken in Centurion and the helicopter is steered along its most likely escape route. Live agents back in the GFB, based on years of knowledge, help direct recovery efforts along likely escape routes. In the helicopter, Jaco pilots it north towards Centurion and the chase is on. While he's flying and liaising with various air traffic controllers such as at Midrand's Grand Central Airport, Bongani is checking the signal from the car and keeping an almost literal eagle eye out the windscreen and windows. The Kia is found a short while later, and the adrenaline rush is over barring the paperwork. Jaco explained that once the vehicle has been found, the chase is handed over to the ground crew who have also been tracking the car and liaising with the police. While the Kia was recovered, many other popular brands are taken for spare parts. Grant Fraser, Netstar Group MD, told IOL that, in addition to popular vehicles such as VW Polos, Toyota Fortuner and Hilux models as well as the Nissan NP 200 being stolen for replacements, 'we are starting to see the high value vehicles' being taken. Fraser noted models such as Land Cruisers and Prados were often used in cash in transit heists as they can force a security truck off the road. Other higher-end vehicles were also set to be shipped overseas or across Africa, added Koen. Grant Fraser, Netstar Group MD Image: Nicola Mawson Vehicle theft, said Fraser, is about economics. While patterns have changed in the past few years post Covid-19, the current trend the Altron unit has seen is that thefts often happen over weekends, while hijackings take place from Wednesday to Friday, said Koen – although this does vary. 'Crime goes to where people go,' Koen said. Koen also said that crooks sometimes used luxury cars as getaway vehicles after a cash-in-transit heist, with another option being for them to use something as innocuous as a Hilux, while 29 cases of cash-in-transit robberies were reported by the SAPS in the last quarter of 2024. Fraser added that the company, which also offers truck fleet management solutions, has seen an increase in theft of cargo such as cellphones, cigarettes, alcohol, as well as metals like copper. Netstar's Robertson R44 Raven 2 helicopter Image: Nicola Mawson Netstar, which recovers about 700 vehicles a month with a more than 90% recovery rate, tracks total vehicles movements that are equivalent to a road going to the moon and back 4.5 times every hour. Given the current landscape as well as the technology and data available to companies like Netstar, it has been accelerating innovation, said Fraser. He added that innovation 'is helping us to improve our recovery rate'. The company is also working with Business 4 South Africa to help build safe corridors, with new technologies being geared towards protecting drivers as well as what they are carrying in their vehicles. 'We save lives; that is the priority, and we do that every single day,' said Fraser. IOL
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Air New Zealand Elevates In-Flight Cuisine With ‘A Taste Of Aotearoa'
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND - DECEMBER 15: An Air New Zealand plane is seen during game two of the ... More Women's ODI series between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval on December 15, 2023 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by) Last summer Air New Zealand launched a new in-flight program built almost exclusively around regionally-sourced food and beverage. The dining menu, dubbed 'A Taste of Aotearoa,' refers to the Maori name for the far-flung nation. Passengers privileged enough to experience business class service can savor, say, a bold and rich crayfish bisque, or slow-cooked braised venison shoulder, paired with popular pinots from the country's renowned Central Otago AVA. You can take the edge off a long haul flight with a neat pour of Vanguard Single Malt from Scapegrace—a craft distillery on the South Island. Sip that next to canapé: Manuka-smoked rye sourdough dabbled in olive oil from Hawke's Bay and confit potatoes with onion crème fraîche (meant to evoke the obligatory chips and dip combo from many a Kiwi home barbecue). For the main course, sample an intensely mineral-rich chardonnay from The Landing vineyard alongside fresh dill-topped seared snapper. These elevated flavors are all the provenance of a singular nation. And none of it was alchemized by chance. They were meticulously engineered by professional palates—super-tasters who are well-versed in the way we perceive taste at high altitude. In the case of Air New Zealand, the task is entrusted in the hands (and mouth) of Justin Koen, head of culinary for the 84-year-old airline. Sampling combinations of great food and wine all day sounds like a pretty awesome gig. And, as he confirms to Forbes, it's not bad. Nevertheless, as with all dream jobs, it's still a job. It actually requires an outsized degree of logistical consideration and probably even the preparation of a spreadsheet or two. Overseeing food prep for Air New Zealand, in particular, comes with a unique set of challenges. Because of its relatively remote hub in the middle of the South Pacific, most flights in to, or out of, Auckland on the carrier are long hauls, spending as much as 17 hours in the sky. Advanced planning and some degree of geographic juggling is required to make sure that fresh fare remains fresh, regardless of route. The good news for Koen—and anyone flying his airline—is that New Zealand holds a rich bounty of ingredients from land and sea. And now it can all be showcased in the air. Justin Koen (left) head of culinary development for Air New Zealand Justin Koen: 'Taking reduced taste and aroma at high altitudes into account, Air New Zealand typically tries to ensure that spices are more pronounced during the recipe development process to ensure our inflight meals feature enhanced flavor and texture.' JK: 'From conception to the actual launch of our menu, it typically takes 12 months. We start out by looking at all feedback to refine our initial ideas, and then we test them with real customers until a recipe is perfected. It's easy to make 10 meals, but getting 1,000 right needs a bit more development.' JK: 'These dishes are carefully crafted to offer a unique culinary experience at 35,000 feet. You can experience our 'A Taste of Aotearoa' menu when departing Auckland, however, we do adjust it based on the route to ensure the freshest local and seasonal ingredients are showcased. Based on which of our 14 long-haul destinations you're flying from, we also adjust the menu to add a little regional flair.' JK: 'Our meals are first assembled in specialized kitchens and then they undergo a rigorous, quality-control test before they're loaded onto an aircraft. Air New Zealand has a dedicated quality assurance team at each one of its catering facilities to ensure consistency throughout our global network. Through stringent protocols and regular training, we monitor crew/customer feedback, track waste, and identify trending dishes to discuss at our weekly 'chef's table'. There, we assess our performance based on presentation, flavor, seasoning, and cooking also frequently travel across our catering facilities to host menu presentations and audit each one to ensure they are maintaining the standard we expect.' JK: 'For the best inflight dining experience, we recommend staying hydrated and choosing meals that are well-seasoned and balanced in flavor. But, we also offer some of the best New Zealand wines onboard that are curated by two wine masters. Our crew is also extensively trained, so they are more than happy to share pairing suggestions that'll help you achieve the best meal possible.' JK: 'My personal favorite off of the menu is our spring onion waffles that are topped with poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, bacon, rocket and tomato salsa. It's our regionally inspired version of an Eggs Benedict, and there is something quite special about eating soft poached eggs in the sky.' JK: 'Our latest menu has an array of highlights, including those that are featured as part of the 'A Taste of Aotearoa' menu, where we focus on local and indigenous ingredients from New Zealand. A couple of standouts are our crayfish bisque, which is bold and rich, and our slow-cooked, red wine-braised shoulder of wild venison, which is a perfect comfort dish for cold winter flights.' NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND - DECEMBER 09: Wine production, Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand. ... More (Photo by)
The Citizen
27-04-2025
- The Citizen
WATCH: Joburg high-speed chase ends with crashed Ford Falcon being apprehended
Two men and a woman had allegedly racked up more than 30 cases of fuel theft and other crimes in the Johannesburg region, but despite a valiant attempt at a getaway that resulted in a crash, they were apprehended by Anton Koen and his No Jack anti-hijacking team. Other charges of theft and armed robbery are included alongside the reported R120 000 worth of fuel that had been stolen from multiple filling stations, resulting in the uncommon Ford Falcon being flagged in Boksburg. Related: Road test figures: BMW M3 Touring Information was relayed to the No Jack team on their whereabouts, and multiple teams collaborated to apprehend the assailants. An initial attempt to get away had the Falcon scrape past a Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Polo in the security team. What can only be described as a nerve-wracking high-speed chase ensued, which endangered many other road users and pedestrians. Eventual tyre blowouts and fender benders with other road users had the final outcome result in the getaway Ford Falcon crashing into one of the Ford Ranger chase bakkies once it was boxed in with a school bus in the oncoming lane. Not the most logical choice for its rarity, the Ford Falcon EL used in the chase isn't a slouch with its 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder producing 157 kW and 357 N.m, but it's little surprise they chose petrol to steal because it boasted high fuel consumption in its day with averages ranging well above 11 L/100 km. Related: Long-term wrap-up: Ford Territory 1.8T Trend AT No information on what will happen with the assailants has been provided since the SAPS weren't invited to this chase, but it is assumed that they will be processed and charged before facing the full might of South African law. Koen added that some of the chase vehicles sustained damage, but it seems local panel beating shops have offered to cover the repair work free of profit. Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles with Car Magazine! The post WATCH: Joburg high-speed chase ends with crashed Ford Falcon being apprehended appeared first on Car Magazine.
