#CrimeStats: Western Cape high on list of most murders in SA

Graphic: Rowan Abrahams/ANA Pictures

Graphic: Rowan Abrahams/ANA Pictures

Published Oct 24, 2017

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Cape Town - Ten police precincts account for the most murders in the province and feature in the top 20 in the country. 

The Police Ministry presented the annual crime statistics for April 2016 to March 2017 in Parliament on Tuesday.

Lieutenant-General Lesetja Mothiba, acting national commissioner of police, said South Africans are becoming more and more violent. 

“Our people are full of anger. They are being killed in violent ways stemming from the smallest arguments. Every second of the day we are fighting crime and we are working under difficult circumstances. 

“We are throwing everything at the criminals.”

The stations with the highest murder rates are: 

* Nyanga (281)

* Delft (183)

* Khayelitsha (179)

* Harare (174)

* Philippi-East (150)

Attempted murders reported in the Western Cape account for 18.6% of all recorded in the country with 12 police precincts listed in the top 30. 

Those with the highest numbers of attempted murders are:

* Khayelitsha (256)

* Nyanga (183)

* Delft (178)

* Kraaifontein (160) 

* Elsies River (156)

The five safest police precincts in Cape Town are Rondebosch, with zero murders and attempted murder; Simon’s Town, with zero murders and two attempted murders; Wynberg had two murders and one attempted murder; Claremont had two murders and three attempted murders; and Sea Point with two murders and four attempted murders.

Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Dan Plato said although there has been a nominal reduction of 0.2% in the number of sexual offences reported in the Western Cape, the 7 115 cases reported represents 14.3% of all sexual offences reported in the country, compared to 13.7% of all cases reported in 2015/16.

“I am extremely concerned about the seven Western Cape stations listed in the top 30 stations with the most reported sexual offences: Nyanga, Gugulethu, Mfuleni, Delft, Harare, Mitchells Plain and Kraaifontein. 

“It is heartening to see that crime detected as a result of police action continues to increase with a 13.5% increase in 2016/17 (123 477) compared to 2015/16 (108 782),” he said.

“These include the 2 929 counts of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition which represents 18.1% of all counts in the country and 3.9% more than the 2 819 counts recorded in 2015/16.” 

When it comes to drug-related crime, the Western Cape still accounts for more than 36% of such crimes with 107 379 in 2016/17 reflecting a 14.2% increase from the 93 996 counts in 2015/16. 

At an average of 294 drug-related crime counts per day and an average of eight counts of illegal firearm and ammunition crimes per day, this suggests an area for the SAPS to focus on.

There has been a 45.8% increase in cash-in- transit robberies, 26.1% increase in truck hijackings and 8.3% increase in carjackings.

Major-General Norman Sekhukhune, head of police crime research and statistics, said gun violence is soaring in the Western Cape with the most gang violence incidents and highest number of weapons confiscated in the Bishop Lavis police precinct.

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Cape Argus

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