Durban - The high incidence of murder over the festive season was a well-known occurrence that was largely fuelled by alcohol abuse, Institute for Security Studies senior researcher Gareth Newham said on Wednesday.
He was commenting on the police crime statistics, released on Tuesday, which showed that, on average, police recorded 11 murders a day in KwaZulu-Natal, but that 55 murders were reported on Christmas Day, and 54 on New Year’s Day.
“It is very well known that the murder rate increases dramatically in December, largely because of the increased use of alcohol,” Newham said.
Robberies and burglaries also spiked over the holidays.
“Criminals also want more money over the festive season.”
Newham said police usually did not take leave over the festive season, to increase the visibility of the men and women in blue at this time.
In the long term, more social workers were needed to intervene in high-risk communities where children were exposed to violence and alcohol and drug abuse.
“Children exposed to harsh punishment and violence are more likely to later act out and engage in violence themselves when met with confrontation.
“This (social worker intervention) is fundamental to reducing violence in the long term.”
Newham said 20% of murders were the result of a robbery, and that the police lacked strategies to target criminal networks and individuals.
While there had been a decrease in car hijackings and house robberies in KZN, there had been a 5.45% increase in murders in the province, meaning KZN had the third-highest murder rate, at 35.6 murders per 100 000 of the population. It also also saw a 2% rise in business robberies, and a 37% increase in truck hijackings.
Newham said that, compared with other provinces, KZN did fall under “good news”, along with the Free State, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape.
But he said the KwaZulu-Natal statistic for murder, which was the “most reliable statistic because all deaths had to be registered”, was worryingly high.
The decrease in certain crimes could be due to a number of factors, including better relationships between community bodies and the police.
The Mercury