Cape Town - Armed criminals continue to attack communities with armed robberies on the rise by almost 5%.
This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele during the release of the first quarter crime statistics on Friday where hijackings and house robberies still continue to rock communities.
Cele also said they were on the trail of those behind cash-in-transit (CIT) heists after the cases dropped by 10.6% in the first quarter.
Cele warned about the increase in truck hijackings as 354 trucks were targeted by criminals.
However, armed robberies continue to be a problem with increases recorded in this area during the same period.
“Aggravated robberies such as carjacking increased by almost 5%. Carjacking took place mostly in formal and non-formal residence in the country’s townships followed by suburbs in urban areas,” said Cele.
He said criminals were targeting sedans and hatchbacks during the hijackings. This was followed by panel vans and bakkies.
Cele also said armed robberies and housebreaking cases were on the rise.
“There were 372 more residential robberies reported in the current reporting period compared to the corresponding period in the previous financial year. 2.8% more robberies at non-residential places such as businesses, churches and schools took place during this reporting period,” he said.
Cele added that they must work hard to nail criminals involved in truck hijackings.
He said 354 trucks were targeted during the first quarter.
Political Bureau